At 35, Ander Herrera It crosses an experience that goes beyond football. The Bilbao midfielder became the Spanish room to wear the shirt of Boca Juniors And since his arrival he moves through the Ezeiza property as if he had been in the club for years. “I didn’t want to meet Argentine football, I wanted to play in Boca and Bombonera. I wanted to live this unique club”said with determination in an interview with the magazine From the mouthan official publication of the Xeneize.
After passing through Athletic Bilbao, Manchester United y PSGHerrera feels that her landing in mouth is the concretion of a dream. However, his arrival coincided with a painful moment: the recent elimination of the Copa Libertadores against Alianza Lima, one of the hardest in the history of the club. “We are not going to forget what happened on Tuesday. We know how important the liberators is for the club and the blow that people suffered. But we wanted to give him this little joy.”he expressed after the victory against Rosario Central. And added: “It is painful, for us it is too, it will still last us a few weeks, but we must spend energies on what we can change and what we can do on the court”.
Herrera’s choice to join Boca generated admiration in colleagues and friends. “Many people told me: ‘What a beautiful madness you have done.’ I respect the players who are going to earn their last money to Saudi Arabia or the United States, but I did not want to retire without playing in one of the most emblematic clubs in the world. Footballs really feel some envy, “he revealed. In addition, he left a categorical definition of the essence of Xeneize: “The one who wants to match with Boca will be losing because the passion here is incomparable”.
His bond with Boca comes from childhood. “The Colombian Córdoba teams, Ibarra, Schiavi, Arruabarrena, Battaglia, Román, Ledesma, Palermo, then Rodrigo Palacio, also Barijho. I saw videos of the fans on the Internet and this club is unique”. Even a special memory linked to Xeneize: “The oldest I have is one of Kily González, because my father signed him and gave him a shirt that I keep in my house in Zaragoza,”.
In its adaptation to Buenos Aires, Spanish chose authenticity. “They offered me to live in a country, but it’s not my style. I like Buenos Aires, travel coffee shops, meet the city. My daughters are in love with Argentine gastronomy”. And he drew a parallel with his land’s team: “In Bilbao there are people who do not like football but it is from Athletic, the same thing happens here. Boca is much more than the ball and the day of the game.”
On the squad, he highlighted his balance between youth and experience, but made clear the demand that imposes the blue and gold. “In the mouth you have to win, it doesn’t matter anything else. It’s like Manchester United or Real Madrid, just win, the demand is very big”. And, faithful to his style, he preferred to go step by step: “Putting the focus on something distant makes you lose the immediate. I was always very prudent with my goals and I went well like this.”
Throughout his career, Herrera shared costumes with some of the best players in the world. “It would be unfair to choose one, but logically Leo Messi. I played with Sergio Ramos, Neymar, Mbappé, Rooney, Thiago Silva, Falcao, Di María, from Gea … I am proud to have been at the service of these stars”. He also recognized the influence of the coaches who marked him: “Bielsa in Bilbao left me a lot. I had Mourinho, Tuchel, Van Gaal, Valverde. I learned from everyone”. Protagonist of roasts with Di María, Messi and Icardi, confessed: “I don’t encourage mate, I’m still with coffee, but everything is familiar to me.”
His future is still an unknown. “I will enjoy this stage because I know there is nothing similar. I would like to be a technician, but I am also attracted to the media analysis. I don’t know if that will fill the competitive bug that I have inside.” For now, your mind is put in the mouth. “Today I focus on the challenges of this semester without looking much further. Then, time will say”.