Ander Herrera made his first-team debut for Real Zaragoza on 1 February 2009 in the Spanish second division. He came on in the 66th minute against Levante, and Zaragoza won 2-1 at La Romareda. He was born Ander Herrera Agüera in Bilbao on 14 August 1989. A midfielder, he has played for Real Zaragoza, Athletic Club, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Boca Juniors. He won senior caps for Spain in 2016 and 2017.
Early years in Zaragoza
His father, Pedro Herrera, is a former Bilbao-born footballer who worked in Real Zaragoza's sporting department from 1993. Ander grew up in the Aragonese capital and came through the Zaragoza academy. In the 2008-09 season he played ten games and scored twice for the reserve side, Real Zaragoza B, in the Spanish fourth tier. That same season he moved up to the first team, which won promotion back to La Liga in 2009. He made his top-flight debut on 29 August 2009 in a 1-0 home win over Tenerife. He made 86 appearances and scored six goals for the Zaragoza first team before leaving in 2011.
Athletic under Bielsa
Athletic Club agreed to sign him on 7 February 2011, and he joined the Bilbao club that summer. His first game for Athletic was a 0-0 draw with Trabzonspor in a Europa League qualifier on 18 August 2011. Under Marcelo Bielsa, the team reached two finals in 2012, in the Europa League and the Copa del Rey, and lost both. Herrera spent three seasons at San Mamés, from 2011 to 2014, and played 128 competitive games in that first spell.
Five seasons at Manchester United
On 26 June 2014, Manchester United paid his €36 million release clause and signed him on a five-year contract. He made his Premier League debut on 16 August 2014 at Old Trafford, in a 2-1 defeat to Swansea City. At United he won the 2016 FA Cup, although he did not play in the final. He also won the 2016 Community Shield, the 2017 League Cup and the 2017 Europa League, and he was named the best player of that final. At the end of the 2016-17 season he received the club's Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award. He played 189 games and scored 20 goals in five seasons.
Seven trophies in Paris
When his contract ran out, he joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer on 4 July 2019. His first Ligue 1 appearance came on 14 September 2019, when he came off the bench in a 1-0 win over Strasbourg. In Paris he won seven trophies: the Ligue 1 titles of 2020 and 2022, the Coupe de France in 2020 and 2021, the Coupe de la Ligue in 2020 and the Trophée des Champions in 2019 and 2020. In 2019-20 the team reached the Champions League final and lost. He made 95 appearances and scored six goals for PSG.
Spain national team
With Spain's under-20 side he won gold at the 2009 Mediterranean Games in Pescara. That same year he played at the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt, where Spain went out in the round of 16. With the under-21 team he became European champion in 2011 in Denmark. He scored two goals in five games and was named in the team of the tournament. A year later he played for Spain at the London 2012 Olympics, where the team went out in the group stage. He made his senior debut on 15 November 2016 in a friendly against England at Wembley, which ended 2-2. His second senior cap came against France on 28 March 2017, in a 2-0 defeat.
Back to Bilbao, Boca and a return to Zaragoza
On 27 August 2022 he rejoined Athletic on loan from PSG. On 31 January 2023 the Basque club took up its option to sign him at no cost. In that second spell he was part of the squad that won the 2024 Copa del Rey, although he did not play in the final. On 17 January 2025, Boca Juniors announced his arrival as a free agent. In Buenos Aires he played around thirty games and scored one goal. On 11 June 2026 he left the club by mutual agreement after the new coach, Rodolfo Arruabarrena, told him he preferred other players. On 14 July 2026, Real Zaragoza, then playing in Group 2 of the Primera Federación, announced that he was returning to the club where he had made his professional debut in 2009.
Real ZaragozaMidfielderMarket value €332.0K