Fernando Hierro is to be Real Madrid's assistant manager, taking over from Zinedine Zidane, who will manage Real's B team, Castilla. The ex-player from Malaga will return to the Santiago Bernabéu as Ancelotti's nº2 eleven years after leaving it as a player.
Hierro will take on this new role at Real Madrid after leaving the Spain team management and a director's position at Málaga FC.
Hierro left Real Madrid in 2003, the same year that Del Bosque also bade his farewell to the Madrilenian club. Recently, he has been employed writing reports for FIFA and was on the point of being the sports director for the Qatari Football Federation, although in the end he turned the offer down.
Hierro arrived at Real as a player in 1989 from Valladolid for €1.2 million. He played for 14 seasons there until 2003, taking part in 601 matches and scoring 127 goals. He won three Champions Leagues, two Intercontinental Cups, a European Supercup, five leagues, a King's Cup and four Spain Supercups. He ended his footballing days at At-Rayyan in Qatar and at Bolton Wanderers.
The Spaniard played 89 times for his country, taking part in four World Cups (1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002) and two European championships (1996 and 2000). In 2007, with Luis Aragonés as the manager, he joined the Spanish Football Federation as sports director.