Could Fernando Hierro be the next manager at Leeds?

Another day, another manager with links to Real Madrid and Ivan Bravo rumored to be the next manager at Leeds United.

The latest hot rumored manager, after Victor Sanchez and Quique Sanchez Flores, is Real Madrid legend and former Bolton Wanderers defender Fernando Hierro. The Spaniard was captain of Real Madrid and appeared over 500 times for Los Blancos, playing for them for over a decade. He also appeared 89 times for Spain, 4th on the all-time appearance list behind only Fernando Torres, Raúl, and David Villa. He also captained Spain during his time playing for his country. He is one of the most decorated footballers in Real Madrid’s history with three Champions League wins and five league titles. He spent the 2004-05 season, his last as a player, with Bolton playing under Sam Allardyce.

Seriously, if you’ve never seen this guy play, Youtube is your friend. Or ask someone over 30. He was absolutely one of the best defenders, if not footballers, of his generation.

He has a short managerial record, having spent the 2014-15 season as an assistant manager at Real Madrid, and spent last season, his first as a manager, at Real Oviedo, a team from the Spanish 2nd division. The team finished 8th in the division with 55 points, with Hierro’s record at the helm of the club being 17 wins, 10 draws, and 16 losses.

He is currently linked with Leeds United because he quit Real Oviedo suddenly Tuesday, after only a season in charge of the club. With all of links at Leeds to former Real Madrid players and coaches, not to mention the number of Spaniards working at the club, it only makes sense that such a sudden move would cause a flurry of attention.

However, this could also just be a domino falling. If Flores, for example, was going to leave Espanyol, Hierro could be on his way there instead. With Espanyol being a local rival to Barcelona, finding a Real Madrid legend to manager them would be a great hire. Any movement in managers in Spain will make the betting market go bananas in England in regards to the manager’s job at Leeds, because that’s probably where the next manager is coming from.

Anyway, this has all the possibility of being a brilliant hire. The man is a living legend. While his time as a manager is relatively short, his long career at the highest levels of football is almost unparalleled in the modern era. Go and get him, Mr Radrizzani and Mr Orta. If only a percent of his talent rubs off on this squad, the Premier League is only the beginning.