Speaking exclusively to Soccer Laduma ahead of Sunday's ElClasico, iconic Real Madrid captain Fernando Hierro revealed which teammates during his years with Los Blancos gave him the most confidence going into the titanic fixture.
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The ex-Spain defender enjoyed an illustrious 14-year spell with Real, during which he scored a plethora of goals and won plenty of titles.
The fact that he was a defender did not stop the Madridista from being prolific in front of goal as he bagged 126 strikes in his 601 appearances for the 14-time European champions, as per Transfermarkt.
For all the success he had in the Spanish capital, no other team thwarted Hierro more than Barcelona.
The Spaniard tasted defeat by the Blaugrana 13 times, and while he did manage to capture 14 victories over the Catalan giants, they proved a tough opposition for the legendary central defender.
Asked which of the stars he shared a dressing room with gave him the most confidence going into the fierce derby, Hierro told Soccer Laduma: "When you're young and a team like Real Madrid or Barcelona comes along, obviously the captains have got more experience.
"They get the team together and they explain how you can experience playing in an ElClasico match.
"As children you watched them on the television but obviously the experience is unique.
"The captains were the older members of the team and they always transmitted to me really what ElClasico meant.
"How you experience it and what it means for our fans, especially when we win and how happy you feel.
"I think the colleagues that have helped you more [in such fixtures] are the people that have been in the team longer, such as the captains."
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For much of Hierro's time in the Spanish capital, Manuel Sanchis was the captain of Real, and it is he who is widely considered to be the most successful skipper in Real's history.
Sanchis led his team to an impressive 19 titles under his captaincy, including two UEFA Champions League trophies, an Intercontinental Cup, five LaLiga titles, two Spanish Cups, five Spanish Super Cups, and a UEFA Super Cup, as per Planet Football.
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