Real Madrid will unveil Julen Lopetegui as their new manager at 6pm BST this evening, a day after he was sacked as Spain's head coach.

The 51-year-old was dismissed just two days before the nation's World Cup opener against Portugal after it emerged he was to replace Zinedine Zidane at the Bernabeu.

Lopetegui's move to Real angered Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales, who said he was only told about it five minutes before Real confirmed the news publicly.

Lopetegui, who flew into Madrid from Krasnodar overnight, will be presented an hour after his stand-in, Fernando Hierro, undertakes Spain's pre-match press conference.

Lopetegui admitted the last 24 hours had seen him experience one of the worst days of his life, followed by one of the best.

In a comment that was interrupted by generous applause from those in attendance and images of people in tears, an emotional Lopetegui told a press conference at the Bernabeu: "Yesterday was the saddest day of my life since the death of my mother, but today is the happiest day of my life.

He added: "Thank you president [Florentino Perez] and Real Madrid for the confidence and trust you've shown in me.

"We're going to fight to be as good as we've been throughout the history of this club. Together we want to try and win everything."

Madrid president Perez, who accompanied Lopetegui at his press conference, defended the club's decision to make public the appointment just days before the start of Spain's World Cup campaign.

He said: "We had wanted to do this [presentation] after the World Cup, but a series of circumstances have led us to here.

"It's inevitable there will be some comments about what has happened but Real Madrid and Julen Lopetegui made an agreement in just a few hours. It was an agreement to work together after the World Cup, obviously respecting the clauses of his contract [with Spain].

"We had an agreement in a few hours and we wanted to make it transparent and clear so as to prevent rumours and leaks that could damage the Spain team during the world Cup."

Perez also feels Lopetegui could have continued as Spain coach.

"We still cannot understand why this agreement could affect the [Spain] players, who really wanted to win and be world champions again," he said.

"We're talking about hugely professional players who do not lose their concentration. This agreement would not affect their performances in the least.

"There's no argument that justifies Julen Lopetegui not being on the Spain bench tomorrow."

Lopetegui insisted he did not feel humiliated by what happened with the national team but would have liked things to have been handled differently.

He said: "Humiliated, no. I've acted in an honest way despite the things that have been said. We have been professional, honest and clear.

"I would have liked Rubiales to do things differently."

Lopetegui added as he put aside his version of events: "Loyalty is telling the truth. The agreement (with Madrid) was closed before the World Cup, not during.

"I had been honest and transparent and had nothing to hide."

Lopetegui also praised the reaction of the Spain players and added: "Tomorrow I will be supporting (the team) like a Spaniard. They are going to have a great World Cup and I feel part of this team."