Fernando Hierro

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Fernando Hierro
Personal information
Full name	Fernando Ruiz Hierro
Date of birth	March 23, 1968 (1968-03-23) (age 40)
Place of birth	Vélez-Málaga, Spain
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position	Centre back (Libero) Defensive Midfielder
Youth clubs
1980-1987	Vélez-Málaga
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1987-1989 1989-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005	Real Valladolid Real Madrid Al Rayyan Bolton Wanderers	057 00(2) 439 (102) 00 ?00(3) 029 00(1)
National team
1989-2002	Spain	089 0(29)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Fernando Ruiz Hierro, pron. IPA: [feɾ'nando 'ʝero] (born March 23, 1968 in Vélez-Málaga) is a former Spanish footballer. He is most famous as a member of Real Madrid and Spain, for whom he played as a defender, and sometimes as a defensive midfielder. At his peak, Hierro's ability to combine solid defensive play with a near-unlimited passing range and surprising goalscoring talent made him one of the world's most sought-after players.

Hierro is now sporting director of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

Contents 1 Club career 2 National team career 3 Honours 3.1 Club 3.2 Individual 4 Trivia 5 External links

[edit] Club career

With Real Madrid, Hierro won the La Liga championship five times and the UEFA Champions League three times: 1998, 2000, and 2002. He paired with Manuel Sanchís in central defense for several years and was the primary captain of the club after the retirement of Sanchís.

He was released by Real Madrid at the end of the 2002-03 season under rather unceremonious circumstances and without the fanfare normally accorded to a player of his stature at the club. Hierro then chose a lucrative move to the wealthy but developing middle east football industry. After playing for one year for Qatar club Al Rayyan, Hierro returned to Europe for the 2004-05 season, signing with English Premiership side Bolton Wanderers on the advice of his English team-mate at Real Madrid, Steve McManaman. He announced his retirement after one season in England and finished playing football on May 15th 2005. Hierro had made a great impact at Bolton playing in an anchor midfield role and consigning compatriot Ivan Campo to bench duty and manager Sam Allardyce and the clubs fans would have loved him to stay on but Hierro had made up his mind to hang up his boots.

[edit] National team career

Hierro has been capped 89 times for Spain, second only to Raúl González as a Spanish outfield player, and has scored 29 goals, again second only to Raúl. He played in the 1994, 1998, and 2002 World Cups, as well as Euro 96 and Euro 2000. He is one of only three Spanish players to have scored in three different World Cups. He was selected for the FIFA All Star team in 2002, and chosen UEFA Best Defender in 1998.

He played in qualifying matches for the 1990 World Cup and the Euro 92, but did not appear in any of those final tournaments. During the 1994 World Cup qualification, he headed the winning goal against Denmark that allowed Spain to qualify for the final tournament in the USA. In the World Cup finals, he scored on an individual play against Switzerland in second round, before his team was eliminated by Italy in quarterfinals.

At the time of the 2002 World Cup, he was the leading goalscorer for the Spanish national team. He retired from the national team in 2002 and was replaced as captain by Raúl.

[edit] Honours

[edit] Club

• Real Madrid
  • La Liga: 1990, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003
  • Copa del Rey: 1993
  • Spanish Super Cup: 1990, 1993, 1997, 2001
  • Champion's League: 1998, 2000, 2002
  • European Super Cup: 2002
  • World Club Championship: 1998, 2002

• Al Rayyan
  • Emir of Qatar Cup: 2004

[edit] Individual

• UEFA Best Defender: 1998
• FIFA World Cup 2002 All-Star Team Defender: 2002

[edit] Trivia

His brother Manuel, also a footballer, played for FC Barcelona. Manuel became the coach of Málaga CF in 2006, when the team was relegated to Segunda División.

[edit] External links

• Fernando Ruiz Hierro - Goals in International Matches, by RSSSF
• Player profile at BDFutbol.com

Preceded by Manuel Sanchís

Real Madrid captain 2001-2003

Succeeded by Raúl González

v • d • e Spain squad - 1990 FIFA World Cup 1 Zubizarreta • 2 Chendo • 3 Jiménez • 4 Andrinúa • 5 Sanchís • 6 Martín Vázquez • 7 Pardeza • 8 Quique • 9 Butragueño • 10 Fernando • 11 Villarroya • 12 Alkorta • 13 Ablanedo • 14 Górriz • 15 Roberto • 16 Bakero • 17 Hierro • 18 Paz • 19 Salinas • 20 Manolo • 21 Míchel • 22 Ochotorena • Coach: Suárez

v • d • e Spain squad - 1994 FIFA World Cup 1 Zubizarreta • 2 Ferrer • 3 Otero • 4 Camarasa • 5 Abelardo • 6 Hierro • 7 Goikoetxea • 8 Guerrero • 9 Guardiola • 10 Bakero • 11 Beguiristáin • 12 Sergi • 13 Cañizares • 14 Juanele • 15 Caminero • 16 Miñambres • 17 Voro • 18 Alkorta • 19 Salinas • 20 Nadal • 21 Luis Enrique • 22 Lopetegui • Coach: Clemente

v • d • e Spain squad - 1998 FIFA World Cup 1 Zubizarreta • 2 Ferrer • 3 Aranzábal • 4 Alkorta • 5 Abelardo • 6 Hierro • 7 Morientes • 8 Guerrero • 9 Pizzi • 10 Raúl • 11 Alfonso • 12 Sergi • 13 Cañizares • 14 Campo • 15 Aguilera • 16 Celades • 17 Etxeberria • 18 Amor • 19 Kiko • 20 Nadal • 21 Luis Enrique • 22 Molina • Coach: Clemente

v • d • e Spain squad - 2002 FIFA World Cup 1 Casillas • 2 Torres • 3 Juanfran • 4 Helguera • 5 Puyol • 6 Hierro • 7 Raúl • 8 Baraja • 9 Morientes • 10 Tristán • 11 de Pedro • 12 Luque • 13 Ricardo • 14 Albelda • 15 Romero • 16 Mendieta • 17 Valerón • 18 Sergio • 19 Xavi • 20 Nadal • 21 Luis Enrique • 22 Joaquín • 23 Contreras • Coach: Camacho