Every penny Real Zaragoza owe Ander Herrera this season goes straight back to them.
The 37-year-old draws a weekly wage of around £5,500 at the Primera Federación side he grew up supporting, and he donates all of it to the club’s foundation.
“I don’t need it. I wanted to play for free. I wanted to help for free,” Herrera said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, as reported by Goal.
‘Without Real Zaragoza, I would never have been a professional’
Herrera’s career took him from La Romareda to Old Trafford and then on to the Parc des Princes. He earned a reported £22m across five years at Manchester United and another £31m at Paris Saint-Germain, totalling £53m before his free deal in Zaragoza.
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He explained to Ferdinand why he turned his pay cheque into a donation.
“I have a lot to thank to this club, to these people. Because without Real Zaragoza, I would probably never been a professional player.”
He said his financial comfort made the gesture straightforward.
“I feel so proud about what I have achieved in terms of football and also in terms of money. So, I don’t need it.”
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A six-time Copa del Rey winner in the third tier
Real Zaragoza, winners of the Copa del Rey six times, dropped out of professional football in May after a run of financial and sporting troubles that ended with their first relegation to the third tier in 77 years. That is the context behind Herrera’s return.
His stated aim is simple: “helping the club to come back to professional football.”
The pitch is co-operating. Zaragoza sit top of Group 2 of the Primera Federación with 16 points from seven matches, one clear of Real Murcia, from five wins, one draw and one defeat. That is promotion play-off territory, the route back to the Segunda División Herrera signed up to help open.
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