He's a hero to the Spanish (6)

I believe the answer is:

lionel

'he's' is the definition.

'a hero to the spanish' is the wordplay.
'a hero' becomes 'lion' (lion can mean a brave person).
'to the spanish' becomes 'el' ('the' in Spanish).
'lion'+'el'='LIONEL'

(Other definitions for lionel that I've seen before include "Boy" , "Guy" , "- Bart, (Oliver!)" , "Blair possibly" , "Oil Len badly for another man" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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