Once earning millions at PSG, now playing for free: why a former international plays in the third division without pay
Ander Herrera played for some of the biggest clubs in the world. Today he plays in the third division for the sheer love of it – and does not want a penny for it.
To understand what Real Zaragoza mean to Ander Herrera, go back more than 30 years to May 1995. The future Spain international was just five, transfixed by the television. His beloved club, from a city of around 700,000 people in north-eastern Spain, faced one of the biggest matches in their history that Wednesday evening: a meeting with Arsenal at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
In the French capital, the European Cup Winners' Cup final was under way. Ander's father Pedro, a former Zaragoza player, was there as the club's technical director. His son watched from home, hoping for the best as the match went into extra time at 1-1.
A little over half an hour later, Herrera was bracing himself for a penalty shootout. Then, in the 120th minute, Nayim got the ball.
From around 40 metres out, the Zaragoza midfielder glanced up and thrashed the bouncing ball towards Arsenal's goal. Nayim had spotted David Seaman, a legendary goalkeeper with an occasional slapstick moment in him, standing a fraction too far off his line. The ball flew in a high arc through the Paris night sky. Seaman scrambled back but could not get enough on it to stop it crossing the line. Nayim and his team-mates erupted. So did Zaragoza and the Herreras' home.
"Look at the difference between Real Zaragoza and Arsenal today, but we used to compete with these giants," Herrera told the BBC a few weeks ago. Now 37, he spent five years at Manchester United and three at Paris Saint-Germain, competing for the biggest titles alongside some of the world's best players. Since the summer, he has worn the Real Zaragoza shirt again. He is not taking a penny from his hometown club. Herrera is playing for free out of love for Zaragoza, who dropped into Spain's third tier for this season.
Why Ander Herrera is playing for Real Zaragoza without a salary
"I don't need a contract. I've had a very successful career and looked after my finances, so I can give myself this gift. To put on this shirt ... for free, because I want to help the club, the team, the city," Herrera says of his decision. He wants to support the club where his roots lie through what may be the most difficult time Real Zaragoza have ever faced.
With Zaragoza's finances stretched, Herrera is foregoing a salary. "I owe this club and the people there a great deal. Without Real Zaragoza, I probably would never have become a professional," the central midfielder stressed recently in an interview with United legend Rio Ferdinand on Ferdinand's YouTube channel. "In this situation, we fans have a responsibility to help the team," he says. Herrera sees himself as a supporter above all. "I'm proud of what I've achieved in football and, of course, financially. So I don't need it. I wanted to play for free, to help for free," stresses Herrera, who had contracts worth millions at United and PSG.
Zaragoza are a third-tier side now. When Herrera was growing up at the club, where his father served as technical director from 1993 to 2012, things looked very different. Zaragoza were usually established in the top flight in the 1990s and 2000s and sometimes competed near the top of LaLiga. They finished third and won the Copa del Rey in 1994, then claimed the European Cup Winners' Cup a year later. Further domestic cup triumphs followed in 2001 and 2004. In 2000, Zaragoza finished fourth in LaLiga, ahead of Real Madrid and just one point behind runners-up Barcelona.
Ander Herrera joined Real Zaragoza at 14
As a child and teenager, Herrera watched those successes and dreamed of playing for Zaragoza himself. He joined his favourite club's youth set-up at 14 and showed his loyalty even then. "I was one of the best players in Zaragoza's academy and had the chance to go elsewhere. But I didn't want to leave," Herrera told the BBC. Zaragoza's relegation from LaLiga in 2008 would have hurt, though it also improved his chances of breaking into the first team.
Six months later, he made his senior debut. Herrera gradually became a regular and helped Zaragoza win immediate promotion back to the top flight. He settled at the higher level, helping them stay up twice, becoming a Spain Under-21 international and emerging as one of the decisive figures in the 2011 European Under-21 Championship triumph. Alongside future stars including David de Gea, Javi Martinez, Thiago Alcantara and Juan Mata, Herrera excelled in his blend of defensive, central and attacking midfield roles. He scored the opener in the 2-0 final victory over a Switzerland side featuring Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri.
That summer, Herrera left Zaragoza for Athletic Bilbao. He impressed enough for Manchester United to pay a €36 million transfer fee for him in 2014. Herrera made almost 200 appearances for the English club, moved on to PSG in 2019 and spent three years there playing alongside megastars such as Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.
Ander Herrera raves about Lionel Messi: "It was crazy"
Asked which of the three superstars he most enjoyed playing with, Herrera gave Rio Ferdinand a quick answer. "Leo, of course," he replied. "We'll never see anyone like him again. Not just in matches, in every single training session ... I could count the times he lost the ball in training: it was always zero. In a rondo, he never had to go into the middle because he never made a mistake. It was crazy," Herrera recalled of Messi's magic.
After Paris, Herrera made one return when he rejoined Bilbao in 2022. Another unusual move followed at the start of 2025, in the twilight of his career. He joined Argentine top club Boca Juniors, whom he had admired since childhood. That admiration also has a great deal to do with Real Zaragoza.
His father Pedro's work as technical director of his hometown club was the link. Ander watched him bring numerous players from Argentina to Zaragoza, including future Valencia star Kily Gonzalez, whom he signed directly from Boca in 1996. "I asked my father why he signed so many Argentine players and he said: 'They never let you down. When things get difficult and start going the wrong way, they always take responsibility and fight,'" Herrera explained to ESPN a few years ago, describing how his fondness for Argentine football began.
Why Ander Herrera is also a Boca Juniors admirer
Boca, in particular, captured his imagination. Whenever Pedro went on a scouting trip to Argentina, he had to call Ander from the legendary Bombonera so his son could hear the atmosphere. It did not matter that it was usually the middle of the night back in Spain. Herrera also developed a particular admiration for a Boca icon. "Sometimes I stayed up until two or three in the morning to watch Boca and Juan Roman Riquelme," Herrera says of the legendary playmaker. "I was amazed when he played. He lulls you into a false sense of security; he seems to slow the game down. But then he suddenly picks up the pace and, before you know what's happening, it's too late."
Herrera was popular with Boca fans from the outset. He spent a year and a half in Buenos Aires and made 29 competitive appearances, scoring one goal, for the club he loves outside Europe. Back in Zaragoza, much had changed in the 15 years since his 2011 departure.
Real Zaragoza stayed in the top flight for two more years but have not returned to LaLiga since their relegation in 2013. A mountain of debt already weighed on the club during Herrera's time and financial turmoil became a defining feature of Zaragoza. Their attempts to return to Spain's top division failed too. In 2018 and 2020, they finished third, narrowly missed automatic promotion each time and then failed to go up through the play-offs in both years.
Those finishes proved a final flicker. After 2020, Zaragoza slipped towards the middle of the second-division table before hitting rock bottom last season. A 1-1 draw away to Las Palmas on the penultimate matchday at the end of May confirmed their relegation to the third tier.
Real Zaragoza are still tenth in LaLiga's all-time table
"Fall of a giant," read the headline in Marca. Zaragoza have not played in the top flight since 2013 but remain tenth in LaLiga's all-time table, in some cases well ahead of established clubs such as Celta Vigo, Villarreal, Osasuna and Getafe.
Fans have directed much of their anger over the decline at Jorge Mas. The American billionaire, who alongside his brother and David Beckham is also one of the owners of Messi's club Inter Miami, became involved with Zaragoza in 2022 and has since been majority owner and president. Mas has substantially reduced the debt, but the team's fortunes have continued to worsen under his leadership.
For now, Zaragoza's La Romareda stadium hosts third-tier football. It is currently being rebuilt and is due to host matches at the 2030 World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. "It was so sad for all of us," Herrera says of the relegation. "Real Zaragoza belong in Europe, should be competing for trophies and facing the biggest clubs in Spain and Europe."
Promotion dreams with Ander Herrera: Real Zaragoza make a strong start in the third tier
Herrera returned to an excited Zaragoza in mid-July and signed for a year. At the end of August, he wore the shirt of the club he loves for the first time in more than 15 years, captaining the side in their season opener. A 2-0 defeat away to Gimnastic de Tarragona made for a poor start, but Zaragoza took an impressive 17 points from their next seven matches. Herrera played in only three of them, spending a month on the sidelines with injury problems. On Sunday, he returned in the 0-0 draw in Murcia, coming on just over 20 minutes from the end.
After eight matchdays, Zaragoza sit second, level on points with leaders Villarreal B. "From the first day, I never wanted to talk too much about the past," Herrera says. "We've talked too much about what we did wrong. What has happened in recent years, all those negative things, is eating away at us. Let's stop complaining about what happened in the past and shape the future instead," stresses the veteran. He hopes young Zaragoza fans can experience evenings like the one he enjoyed at home in front of the television in May 1995.
