Profile: Who is Hyderabad FC's new signing Borja Herrera?

The Spaniard made three appearances in La Liga.

After winning the Indian Super League last season, Hyderabad FC needed to further strengthen its ranks to ensure their domination continues. The club has the right mix of talent and experience and head coach Manolo Marquez has been looking for the right player to further improve his squad depth. As a result, the much anticipated signing came in Spanish left-footed versatile defender Borja Herrera. The 29-year-old has joined the club on a year-long deal.

Herrera was a part of the squad at Anexo Del Estadio Gran Canaria during head coach Manolo Marquez’s time. He has been effective across all domestic leagues in Spain and has also spent a season in Israel with Maccabi Netanya. 

The Spaniard can play in defence, in central midfield and in the wings, and brings in a lot of experience in the bag.

Prior experience

Borja Herrera made his senior team debut with CF Union Viera during the 2012-13 season in the Tercera division, the fourth-tier league in Spain. During his two-years at the club, he scored 13 goals in 53 appearances. He then made a move to the-then third division league of Spain in January 2014, when he signed for Tudelano. 

Following that, Herrera’s next major stint was with Las Palmas where he played 85 games for their reserve sides and scored 19 goals between 2014 to 2017. He was then promoted to the main team to play in the La Liga in the 2017-18 season. The versatile player appeared thrice for the main team before being loaned out to Real Valladolid till June, 2018. 

Post that, Borja had stints with CF Reus Deportiu and Albacete Balompie before leaving Spain. On 19 July 2019, the Spanish player penned a two-year deal with Maccabi Netanya FC from Israeli Premier League. Prior to heading to India, he had short stints with a few other Spanish clubs that include Andorra, Unionistas and Tamaraceite.

Type of player

Borja Herrera has mostly played as a left-back in his career. But he has also featured in midfield and wings quite often and his versatility makes him a valuable asset for the Nizams. Although he lacks pace and agility, that doesn’t reduce the threat he creates from the flanks. 

The 5'9’' player averaged 0.7 key passes per game when he played as a left-back. He also has a passing accuracy of 59% in the opposition half and averages 11 passes per game. The 29-year-old possesses that creative instinct which has become a must have for modern-day wing-backs, thanks to his exemplary vision and passing abilities.

What he brings to the team

We already know Manolo Marquez loves his full-backs to bomb forward. Under him, Borja Herrera will be tasked to build attacks from the flank. His intelligence and vision will bring the midfielders into play. With Bartholomew Ogbeche in the box, we can expect Herrera to find him very often by his teasing crosses. 

Borja completes 53% of his dribbles from the wings. So, we can expect him to spread the field and create space for his fellow attackers. Along with these attributes, the Spaniard’s athleticism, composure, and experience of playing on the big stage will certainly benefit the side.

To defend the Indian Super League trophy and challenge for the Shield, the Spaniard will have to play a key role for the Nizams.