Julio Velázquez Santiago (Salamanca, 5-10-1981) will be the Real Betis manager as of 1st July. This young but experienced coach will pick up the reins of the green-and-whites after a remarkable season with Real Murcia. A team that managed to qualify for the play-offs despite the numerous difficulties they had to face from the very beginning of the season.

Velázquez is passionate about football, hungry for success and ready to take on the challenge of managing Real Betis Balompié, yet aware of how demanding the post will be. He has signed for a season with an option to extend for another if the team gets promotion. He will be accompanied by his second in command Miguel Ángel Baltanás, who coincided with him at the Valladolid youth football academy and who has worked for Manuel Pellegrini and Ernesto Valverde.

Velázquez began his management career in 1997 and has developed his abilities by working his way through the lower categories of Spanish football. He learned his trade in teams like San Nicolás, UD Sur U18, Real Valladolid U18, Laguna U18, Peña Respuela, Arandina CF, Atlético Villacarlos, Polideportivo Ejido U18 and Real Valladolid U18 A before taking over Real Valladolid B, with whom he played the promotional phase to the Second Division B. A year later he managed Club Polideportivo Ejido in the bronze category of Spanish football. From the club in Almeria he moved to Villarreal CF. In July de 2011 he took over team C, managing them for 21 matches. In December he took the reins of a second-division Villarreal B from José Francisco Molina. When he took over the reserve team in the yellow strip they were in the relegation zone and he led them to conclude a magnificent second round. In the 2012/13 season he trained the first team in the first round, during which time he maintained the team in a position of direct promotion or entry into the play-offs. 

This season he was hired by Real Murcia with the difficult task of staying in the same category. Nevertheless, he got the team a deserved fourth place and a place in the play-offs, which demonstrated his capacity on a tactical level, his resources to overcome obstacles, his control over the team and enormous ambition.

The manager, who has said goodbye to the players, directors and fans of Real Murcia today,now faces this new stage of his professional career oozing motivation: “it is an exciting challenge and even though it's going to be a long and hard haul, we will succeed in returning Real Betis to its rightful place”.

Velázquez also believes that his new club has an advantage over all others: the fan base. “Looking in from the outside the Betis fans have always transmitted power and passion. To experience this feeling from within is going to be something special because I know how important it is", he highlighted.