Ander Herrera recalled the details of his time spent alongside Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain, emphasizing that watching the Argentine star on a daily basis in training left him convinced that football will never see another player like him.
Herrera played alongside Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, and Ángel Di María in the French side during an era that featured a collection of the world’s finest stars, though it simultaneously posed significant tactical and managerial challenges for the coaching staff led by Mauricio Pochettino.
Speaking during an appearance on the Rio Ferdinand Presents show, Herrera corrected the list of stars mentioned by the former English defender: “You forgot Di María—we were talking about four footballing monsters.”
The Spanish midfielder added: “My relationship with them was fantastic, and that helped me a lot. I knew that players like Messi and Neymar would make me better, and all they wanted was for you to give them the ball and stay close so they could find you if they needed to play a return pass.”
He continued: “If you try to do more than what is asked of you, you’ll make mistakes. But if you understand the limits of your role and what you must do so these stars can enjoy their football, playing alongside them becomes easy.”
Herrera revealed a conversation he had with Pochettino regarding the difficulty of managing that squad, saying: “I once told him that I wouldn’t have accepted the PSG job if I were in his shoes. I love Pochettino and have a great relationship with him, but staying up to the standards required by those players at every moment, and picking the training sessions that made them feel comfortable, was extremely tough.”
On Messi, Herrera concluded: “For me, he is something we will never see again—and not just in matches, but in every single training session. I can count the number of times he lost the ball: zero. In rondos, he never went into the middle because he simply never lost the ball. It was insane.”
Herrera began his career with Real Zaragoza before moving to Athletic Bilbao, then representing Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, later returning to Bilbao before a stint with Boca Juniors. In the summer of 2026, he returned to Zaragoza on a one-season contract to conclude his career at the club where his professional journey first began.
