MADRID (AP) Spain's football federation named Julen Lopetegui as the new coach of the national team on Thursday, replacing Vicente del Bosque.
Del Bosque stepped down after eight years in charge following Spain's elimination in the round of 16 of the European Championship last month.
The 49-year-old Lopetegui had been without a job since January after being fired from FC Porto, his only head coaching job with a major club. He failed to win a title during almost two years in Portugal.
A former goalkeeper who started a handful of games for Real Madrid and Barcelona, Lopetegui played for Spain in the 1994 World Cup.