Ander Herrera Returns to Zaragoza and Donates Salary to Club Foundation

Ander Herrera has returned to Real Zaragoza 15 years after leaving his boyhood club, joining on a free transfer from Boca Juniors and choosing to donate his salary to the club’s foundation. BBC Sport reports that the 37-year-old midfielder regards the move as the final major ambition of his playing career, bringing him back to the team where he developed as both a player and a person.

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The setting is markedly different from Herrera’s recent football. His latest competitive appearance came for Boca at La Bombonera in the Copa Libertadores, while Zaragoza are preparing for a Spanish third-tier game against Gimnastic de Tarragona in front of about 6,500 supporters. Herrera nevertheless described the homecoming as being as important as any move he has made.

Herrera told BBC Sport that he did not need the move for financial reasons after a successful career and wanted to help his club, city and team. Rather than retaining his Zaragoza salary, he opted to direct it to the club foundation. He said being able to return on those terms was a source of pride, while stressing that his focus remained on contributing on the field.

Zaragoza’s circumstances give that task added weight. The club, which beat Arsenal in the 1995 Cup Winners’ Cup final, dropped out of La Liga in 2012-13 and then spent 13 seasons in Spain’s second division before falling into the third tier. Herrera said the decline had been painful for the club’s supporters, but urged Zaragoza to stop dwelling on past mistakes and approach the rebuilding effort positively.

The move also closes a long career loop. Herrera made 86 first-team appearances during his initial Zaragoza spell before moving to Athletic Club in 2011. He later represented Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Boca Juniors, winning the Europa League and FA Cup as well as domestic league titles. His career included working under managers such as Jose Mourinho, Thomas Tuchel and Marcelo Bielsa.

Herrera remains open to a future in football after retirement, although he has not committed to coaching. He told BBC Sport that he enjoys helping young players develop and wants to use his experience to guide them through career decisions. For now, that longer-term question is secondary: his immediate objective is to help Zaragoza begin climbing back from the third division while finishing his playing career at home.