Ander Herrera has rejoined boyhood club Real Zaragoza on a free transfer and will not take home a salary in the Spanish third division. Instead, the 37-year-old former Manchester United midfielder will donate his wages to the club's foundation, which funds grassroots sports, runs educational programmes and supports other charitable projects.
Herrera returned to Zaragoza in July after spending the last 18 months with Argentine giants Boca Juniors. He wants to help the club climb out of the Spanish third division and assist them off the pitch as well.
'I don't need a contract'
"I don't need a contract. I have a very successful career. I have taken care of my money," Herrera told BBC Sport. "I can give this present to myself."
"To put that shirt on... for free because I wanted to help my club, my team, my city. It's something that I wanted to do. It's something that I am able to do and it's something that makes me feel so proud to be able to be here just to help."
"I am not thinking about money or contracts. I feel a privilege to be able to do that."
Career journey from Zaragoza to Manchester United
Herrera left Zaragoza in February 2011 when the club were in financial trouble. He made 86 senior appearances, predominantly in La Liga, during his first spell at La Romareda before signing for Athletic Club in a €7.5million (£6.4m) deal.
After three-and-a-half years in Bilbao, Herrera moved to United for £28m and became Louis van Gaal's first signing. He made 189 appearances during his time at Old Trafford, winning the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Europa League.
Herrera left United in 2019 upon the expiry of his contract, having wanted a longer extension than the terms United were offering him. "It was not about money," he insisted to The Athletic. "It was not about the duration of the contract offer. In my opinion, I waited too long (for an offer) and deserved more attention from the club."
"I was a player that gave everything. I never complained. I never went to the media to complain about anything. I never put a bad face to any manager, to any member of the board, and they waited until I had five or six months left on my contract. That's why I had some disagreements with them."
Return to Zaragoza and hopes for the future
Herrera subsequently joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, helping Thomas Tuchel's side reach the Champions League final during his first season. He slowly fell out of favour in the French capital before returning to Bilbao in 2022 for a two-and-a-half year stint.
It was then when he signed for Boca and now he's come full circle in a bid to turn Zaragoza's fortunes around. "It has been so sad, of course, for all us Zaragozistas," the 37-year-old admitted.
"Real Zaragoza belong to Europe, they belong to compete for trophies, to be fighting with the biggest clubs in Spain and in Europe. I want to put my quality, my experience and my passion to try to help my team to come back where I think we belong."
"But since the first day I came, I don't want to talk too much about the past. We have been talking too much about what we have done wrong. It's always killing our minds why that happened, always thinking about negative things."
"Let's stop crying about what happened in the past. Let's build on the future. Let's come every day to training with a smile."
