Ander Herrera plays for free in Spain's third tier to help boyhood club Zaragoza

Ander Herrera's most recent competitive match came for Boca Juniors in the Copa Libertadores, but his next appearance will be in Spain's third tier, in front of crowds of around 6,500, after rejoining boyhood club Real Zaragoza on a free transfer.

The 37-year-old midfielder calls the move one of the most meaningful of his career, describing it as closing the circle. He returns after 15 years away, during which he had two spells at Athletic Club and played for Manchester United, Paris St-Germain and Boca Juniors. Along the way he won the Europa League and FA Cup among other honours, played under managers including Jose Mourinho, Thomas Tuchel and Marcelo Bielsa, and shared dressing rooms with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Wayne Rooney.

Real Zaragoza, who beat Arsenal to win the 1995 Cup Winners' Cup, were relegated from La Liga in 2012-13 and have since slid further, recently dropping into Spain's third division after 13 seasons of decline in the second tier. Herrera says watching the club's fall from afar has been painful, but insists he wants to focus on the future rather than dwell on past mistakes, hoping his experience can help restore Zaragoza to where he believes it belongs.

Given the club's difficult financial position, Herrera has chosen to forgo a salary altogether, instead donating his pay to Zaragoza's foundation. He says his career has already left him financially secure, and that helping his club, team and city in this way is something he feels privileged to do.

Herrera, whose father Pedro played for and later managed Zaragoza, says he hopes to work with young players once his playing career ends, aiming to help them avoid mistakes he made himself. He also expressed concern that social media pressures younger players to progress too quickly, which he believes can be counterproductive to their development.