Tottenham defender Cristian Romero has announced his departure from the club with an emotional message before joining Atletico Madrid
Cristian Romero has issued a heartfelt and lengthy goodbye to Tottenham ahead of his imminent transfer to Atletico Madrid.
The Argentine only signed a new contract last summer when he was made club captain, but a difficult 2025/26 season has seen him opt for a new challenge with the La Liga side paying Spurs €40million (£34m) to sign him.
Despite often dividing the fanbase, his performance in the Europa League final will not be forgotten and his farewell message shows that he certainly cared about the club.
On Friday evening, he wrote on Instagram: "Today, I say goodbye to a place that, for five seasons, was much more than a club. It was my home, my challenge and the place where my family and I built such an important part of our lives.
"I leave with a heart full of memories and enormous pride for everything we lived and achieved together. When I arrived, I had a clear dream: to leave my name in this club’s history. I knew the only way was through hard work, sacrifice and achieving something that had seemed so difficult for so long: lifting a trophy again. **And we did it.**
"The journey wasn’t perfect, but I don’t want that to define my goodbye. I choose to remember the happy moments, the lessons, the people who stood by me and, above all, the love I received during these five years.
"Thank you to everyone at the club who shared this journey with me. Coaches, teammates, staff and every person working behind the scenes you are all part of my story and have a place in my heart.
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"And to the fans: Thank you for loving me, respecting me and making me feel like one of you from day one. Thank you for every hug, every song, every flag, every applause and for always being there.
"I know I wasn’t perfect, but one thing gives me peace: I always gave everything. I defended this shirt with pride and with all my heart.
"THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. I’m leaving the club, but a part of my heart will always remain here. Once I was one of you. Today, I leave as one of you forever. With all my love and respect. Thank you for everything. And goodbye @spursofficial [white heart emoji]."
Spurs have arguably already replaced Romero with Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke joining this summer. The former's regular centre-back partner Micky van de Ven has also signed a new long-term contract.
While also selling Djed Spence to Inter Milan, Roberto De Zerbi is currently focused on attacking signings with moves for Manchester City star Savinho and Cody Gakpo of Liverpool being pursued.