Why Herrera is playing for free in Spanish third division

Ander Herrera's most recent competitive game was in front of a raucous La Bombonera crowd playing for Boca Juniors in the Copa Libertadores. His next will be in the Spanish third division in front of roughly 6,500 fans against a regional side, Gimnastic de Tarragona. But Herrera says his return to Real Zaragoza on a free transfer from Boca is just as important as any move he has made in his career. "This is probably the last dream that I wanted to make come true," the Spaniard tells sources. "To come back home, to the place where I grew up, that gave me the opportunity to be professional - not only in football, also as a human being. "And I still have the passion, I still have the desire. I still have that love for football and to do it at home is the best way to end up in my career. "In Spain, we say closing the circle." The midfielder has returned to his boyhood club after 15 years away - including two spells at Athletic Club and stints at Manchester United, Paris St-Germain and Boca. The 37-year-old has won the Europa League, FA Cup and multiple league titles, played under Jose Mourinho, Thomas Tuchel and Marcelo Bielsa, and shared dressing rooms with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Wayne Rooney. However, success has been in short supply in recent years for Zaragoza, who beat Arsenal in the 1995 Cup Winners' Cup final. They were relegated from La Liga in 2012-13 - two years after Herrera had left for Bilbao - and after 13 seasons of declining finishes in the second division, fell into the notoriously difficult third tier of Spanish football. "It has been so sad, of course, for all us Zaragozistas," says Herrera, who watched the club's decline from afar. "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." When Herrera left Zaragoza, who were in financial trouble, in 2011, he knew he wanted to return at some point. While he did not know what the situation for his comeback would be, he has rejoined the club during their most challenging time - and opted to donate his salary to Zaragoza's foundation. "I don't need a contract. I have a very successful career. I have taken care of my money," Herrera says. "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." Herrera was a fervent fan before his promotion to Zaragoza's squad. His idols were from the club and his biggest inspiration - his father Pedro - was also a player before becoming general manager. Herrera Sr's time working at Zaragoza was when his son's earliest football memories were created, including that famous 1995 European success. The young Ander watched from home as his team beat Arsenal to clinch the trophy in the Parc des Princes, the home of PSG - a club he later spent three years at. Herrera says: "You can now see the difference between Arsenal and Real Zaragoza - but we used to fight against those giants." Herrera's on-pitch peak may be behind him - although he remains focused on short-term objectives such as helping rebuild Zaragoza - but he is sure football will remain part of his future after his playing days are over. "I like to work with young players," he says. "I like to see the development and the process and I like to help them to avoid some mistakes that I have probably made. "To help the families also manage situations that I have already managed in the past and I have probably done not as good as I should have done. "I don't know if I'm going to be a coach of professional football players. I don't close any door because I love football, it's my passion, it's something that I have been doing my whole life and it's something that I love. "But I don't know in which positi