Hierro had offers in front of him which included a stay in Qatar, a return to his native Spain and further offers from teams in the USA and Mexico but a desire to play in England was just to good to pass up on.
"I had various sort of offers: another year's contract in Qatar, an offer from Mexico and some Spanish clubs were interested in me as well. Some clubs in the United States also put in offers but I had this big desire to play in England." he told the official site
The 36-year old says that the supporters, atmosphere and stadia in the English game are special. He experienced the buzz first hand when helping Spain get to the Quarter Finals of Euro 96 and has also played in the country against Manchester United and Leeds United whilst playing as a prominent figure for Real Madrid back in the 1990's.
"The game here, the fans, the support, the stadium, those were the reasons I wanted to come here. It all goes back to Euro 96 when I played for Spain at Wembley and that's when I first got this desire and fell in love with the game. Throughout that competition I noticed how people were in the stadium, how footballers seem to be treated here, the whole sort of thing around the game in England."
"Then I was fortunate to come to England again to play Manchester United and Leeds, when they were in Europe and the Champions League. Those were the occasions that really reinforced that desire I had."
Bolton had wanted to add the veteran defender to their side a year ago following his release from Madrid but the Spaniard admits that it was a case of being the right club at the wrong time hence his move over to the riches of the Qatar league.
"I was perfectly aware of the situation a year ago and I knew that Bolton were showing interest, but I had a few issues to sort out at Real Madrid and I had to put things in order there so everything would have been a little bit rushed if I had decided to come to Bolton.
"The season here in England started earlier than it did in Spain or Qatar, so eventually, rather than take the opportunity to come and rush things and not get sorted at Madrid, I decided to go to Qatar. I'm grateful that Bolton have shown this interest for a second year running that is why I decided to come to the club."
Many will have been surprised that such a big name player in World football would have decided to come to Bolton so late on in his career but the 89 times capped star is fully focused on what he wants to achieve both on the field of play and as an ambassador off it. Aim number one is to well and impress his new team.
"I came to Bolton with a real desire to do well on the field, to help the club in general, on and off the field, and that's what I want to concentrate on. It was my own decision to come to Bolton and I'm proud of that decision, I want to re-enforce that by doing well this season."
Hierro has no regrets at all on the decision to come to England the second time around. He says that the mood so far is positive and things are going extremely well for him.
"Everything was very positive from the moment I got here. I've been here a month and a half and I'm really pleased at how everyone's treating me. Equally, I am happy with my decision on the area, on the club, the organisation and the way I have been treated since I got here and it just goes to prove that I made the right decision on choosing to come to Bolton."