The candidate for the presidency of Real Madrid Enrique Riquelme continues to shape his team and has reached an agreement with Fernando Hierro for the Malaga native to take on the direction of the Valdebebas Sports City, and therefore everything related to the youth academy, if elected president. This was announced by Riquelme in an interview with EL MUNDO to be published this Thursday.
Hierro, one of the great references of Real Madrid, will work within Raúl González's structure, who is the candidate's choice for the sports management. "The club needs someone to truly lead Valdebebas, to lead the youth academy. It must be someone who has been there, who is a club legend, and who is a great professional," explains Riquelme in the interview with this newspaper.
"Hierro has worked in different positions internationally, knows very well the methodologies used in other countries, in other clubs, and will be able to implement them if they benefit Real Madrid. We must promote meritocracy, we must put an end to all the favoritism of intermediaries within the lower categories of Real Madrid, we must end friendships with coaches so they play a certain player, so they call them to train with the first team, because that is happening," insists the candidate.
Hierro spent 14 seasons at Madrid, winning three Champions Leagues, five La Liga titles, two Intercontinental Cups, and a UEFA Super Cup. He played 601 games and scored 127 goals, although his departure, under Florentino's presidency, was not without controversy, with a monumental dispute during the celebration of the 2003 League title. Hierro, as team captain, had a strong confrontation with the president, which led to his exit from the club.
Subsequently, Hierro was the sports director of the Spanish Football Federation during its most glorious period, between 2007 and 2011, he was Ancelotti's assistant coach in the 2014/15 season at Madrid, in a brief return to the club, and had an unremarkable stint as the coach of Oviedo in 2016/17, just before facing the challenge of leading the national team in the 2018 World Cup in Russia after Lopetegui's dismissal a few days before the tournament started.
Currently, after spending two years in Mexico as the sports director of Club Deportivo Guadalajara, he holds the same position at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.