The Julen Lopetegui era at Real Madrid came to an end this Monday, October 29, 2018, as the Spanish manager was relieved of his duties and replaced with Santiago Solari. The Argentine will serve as the interim manager for the Merengues as he tries to resurrect a team that is clearly on the downfall, currently ninth in La Liga.

Solari had an extensive and illustrious playing career from 1996-2011 playing with top-tier clubs like River Plate, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. “El Indiecito” ended his career with Uruguayan giants Penarol, but he did have a stint with Atlante in the Liga MX beforehand.

Atlante had just won the CONCACAF Champions League in 2009 and was looking for a high-profile signing for the Club World Cup. Solari was that signing, but left a lot to be desired after three tournaments with the team from 2009-2010.

Santiago Solari is Real Madrid’s new manager. Played in the #LigaMXeng with Atlante from 2009-2010. pic.twitter.com/fKTVUR9ZGA — Francisco Velasco (@FranciscoEfV) October 29, 2018



The Rosario, Argentina native scored just five goals in 33 total Liga MX games and decided to leave after frustration with himself and with Atlante’s coaching staff led by Rene Isidoro Garcia.