Barcelona defender Jordi Alba has confirmed he will leave the club after 11 seasons at Camp Nou.
On Wednesday morning it broke that Alba would be leaving the club, which just a few hours later has been confirmed by the player and the club.
Alba left the club as a youth player, passing through Gimnastic de Tarragona, Cornella, and then Valencia, before joining Barcelona in the summer of 2012.
He has 17 trophies, including 6 La Liga titles, a Champions League and 5 Copa del Rey titles, across his 11 years at the club. During his time he racked up 458 appearances, 29 goals and 99 assists – totals he can add to against Celta Vigo and Real Mallorca before the end of the season.
Alba thanked his family for their support, and the fans, club, presidents, players and club staff for allowing him to fulfil his childhood dream of playing for his team, Barcelona.
In a statement, Barcelona confirmed his exit and thanked him for his ever-positive and friendly relationship with every member of the Barcelona family. While at times controversial on the pitch, he is well-liked by many within the club.
Alba’s contract will be mutually terminated with the club, with some reports saying that he will forego up to half of the salary he was due in that time. With the Blaugrana trying to cut down their salary bill, this is a major step towards doing so.
Like Sergio Busquets, he will say goodbye to Camp Nou for the final time as a player on Sunday against Mallorca. The two will go down as two of the best ever, perhaps the best, in their positions in Barcelona history. Alba , aged 34, has been a constant over the last decade, at times unstoppable – especially when combining with Lionel Messi.
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