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What's the story
Former Spanish captain Fernando Ruiz Hierro has been named manager of the Spanish National side after previously holding the role of Sporting Director. The appointment comes in the wake of former manager Julen Lopetegui being sacked after he took reins at Real Madrid FC.
In case you didn't know...
Julen Lopetegui had been officially removed from the capacity of the Spain National Team manager, a day after he was appointed as the Real Madrid gaffer.
Luis Rubiales, the Spain Football Association President, had said this when asked about the decision on who to be newly appointed:
"We are going to touch as little as possible. We are working on it. When we know we will tell you. “I have spoken with the players and I can guarantee they will do everything, along with the new coach, to take the team as far as possible. To win is very important, to have the best coach very important, but above everything is acting in the right way. Maybe this is tough now, but in the end, it will make us stronger."
It turns out that Rubiales has found the ideal gaffer in his own association's sporting director.
The heart of the matter
Hierro is mostly known for his playing spells with Real Madrid and Spain, appearing in more than 500 official games with the former and representing the latter on nearly 90 occasions, while appearing in four World Cups and two European Championships. With Real Madrid, he won five La Liga and three UEFA Champions League trophies over the course of nearly 15 years.
Hierro was officially presented as sporting director of the Royal Spanish Football Federation in late September 2007. He remained four years in the position.
In July 2011, Hierro returned to his native region, being appointed Malaga's director of football. On 28 May 2012, even though the club finished fourth and qualified for the UCL for the first time ever, he left his position. On 10 July 2014, Hierro was named assistant coach of Real Madrid, replacing Zinedine Zidane who then left to take the reins of Real Madrid Castilla. Two years later, he was given his first full managerial role, being appointed at Segunda Division side Real Oviedo. On 14 June 2017, after missing out on promotion playoffs, Hierro left the club.
On 27 November 2017, Hierro was re-appointed the Sporting Director of the Spanish national team.
What's next?
With just two days left for Spain's first World Cup 2018 game against Cristiano's highly-charged Portugal, the sacking of Lopetegui had shown signs of a potential downfall within the team, but the authorities have managed to bring normalcy to the situation by assigning Hierro with the managerial duties. Apart from facing Portugal on 15th June, on 20th, they face Iran and on 25th, they face Morocco to finish their group stage.
The Spanish side is a strong contender to the World Cup, boasting excellent players throughout the lineup, with the likes of De Gea, Carvajal, Ramos, Pique, Alba, Iniesta, Isco, Asensio and Costa all featuring for the side.
What do you think about Spanish FA's decision to sack Lopetegui and appoint Hierro with the World Cup just around the corner? Let us know in the comments below:
