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What's the story?
Julen Lopetegui's father has given his verdict on Real Madrid's sacking of his son on Monday, claiming that Los Blancos set him up for failure the moment they sold Cristiano Ronaldo.
In case you didn't know...
This summer saw Portuguese ace Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from the Bernabeu to join Serie A side Juventus. After winning 16 trophies and scoring 450 goals in nine seasons at the club, Ronaldo made the move worth €100 million.
Real Madrid has since been coping with his exit unsuccessfully, as the club stands at ninth place in the LaLiga with their worst start to a season since 2001.
Julen Lopetegui's future as boss was uncertain throughout the season as rumors of his sack made the headlines every day. The uncertainty finally came to an end following Real Madrid's humiliating El Clasico defeat to Barcelona on Sunday.
Lopetegui was made to face the inevitable and was sacked by the European champions on Monday.
A club statement said, "The board understands that there is a big difference between the quality of Real Madrid's squad, which has eight players nominated for the next Ballon d'Or, something without precedent in the history of the club, and the results obtained to date. The club thanks Julen Lopetegui and all his staff for their effort and the work done, and wishes them all the best in their professional careers."
The heart of the matter
Lopetegui's father Jose Antonio Lopetegui has expressed his anger over the news, saying that the club set his son up for failure when they refused to replace Ronaldo, who he says is "a prominent goalscorer" that Real Madrid misses.
Speaking to El Mundo, Antonio said, "Cristiano Ronaldo was good. Was he cocky? We all have defects.
"But it turns out he [Ronaldo] scored 50 goals [a season]. He is missing. You are missing a prominent goalscorer. They haven't brought one, not a single one.
"There was talk of Neymar and others but no one came. They have stolen 50 goals from my son."
Antonio added, "Yes. He has to settle with what he has. Don't get me wrong, he is delighted with the players he has.
"He usually says: 'I have great people, they give everything they've got.' He doesn't blame the players. But when there is no material, there isn't. There was but he [Ronaldo] left."
What's next?
Amid rumors of Antonio Conte's move to the Bernabeu as Lopetegui's successor, Real Madrid has placed team B coach Santiago Solari as the interim manager for the time being.
