Finally, we have come to the end of the summer transfer window. We laughed. We cried. We wondered ‘Why in the name of Ronaldinho’s golden tempus signed Manchester City? Manuel Akanji? “
But like it or not, your club’s team card is now what it will look like for at least the next six months. Many players have left the clubs they have worked with for years and that means one thing is for sure: the players’ farewell letters.
It’s an ancient art, much like trying not to look arrogant while refusing to party against your former team, or patting a referee on the back after he hands you a yellow card. When you leave the club, you should at least leave a note when you go out. Otherwise you become a villain, an evil adversary who becomes the object of delight when misfortune befalls you. Some guys thrive on this kind of negativity, but most would prefer to at least leave a compliment note before they go.
But when you admire a player at your club and they suddenly leave, you always want to make sure that they really mean those things they wrote, at least on some level. Sometimes it’s easy to see that sadness. Other times, it’s a little hard to tell. So, in an effort to completely turn everything into a competition, I’ve decided to arrange some of the most famous farewell messages from players departing to their now former clubs.
Entries are judged based on their remarkable honesty, aesthetic quality in both written and visual media, and accurate reflection of the player’s history with the club, which is a great way to express just how much of a bull —-…you know what? Let’s just deal with it.
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There are many video farewell messages on this list, but few of them come with the tremendous production value that Jesus brings to the table here. We have youth sections. We have clips for adults. We have animations (!!!), and we have a video that’s completely narrated and clearly thought and written beforehand, with some really effective and nice syntax repetition to drive the emotional point home at the end.
Did you understand that? From what you did, you did, you did, to “we did.” He invites every fellow and fan to watch the video of his tenure at Manchester City and puts his arm around them, with just a simple phrase turn. Excellent farewell video and message. highest marks.
Sure, Phillips is basically turning out for a feature video here, but he’s also establishing his winnings, showing pictures of his kids wearing Leeds shirts, showing he’s helping bring the club into the Premier League, and singing songs with fans. Oh, and it’s all set for Adele, as if it wasn’t sentimental enough. And that’s before we get to the letter, which is equally honest, and takes the time to thank several Leeds United staff members personally by name.
It’s detailed, it’s honest, it’s emotional. I think it lacks a little bit of the refinement that Jesus brings to the farewell speech game, but it’s almost on par with the best set here.
Dybala doesn’t have a video, and his farewell speech isn’t as long or specific as some of the others. But if there’s one thing Dybala wants, it’s raw emotion. When he says he thinks he’ll wear the Juventus shirt longer, you know he means it at his core.
No one has cried so hard for Tina Turner since the Clinton administration. When Dybala talks about Juventus, he brings sincerity of appreciation to the club that deserves admiration. This makes a good farewell letter, too.
Marks for the longest letter on this list, as well as for the custom font and hand-drawn designs here. It’s a very beautiful letter thanking everyone who has worked with and around Bellerin at Arsenal, and he never feels like he is venturing into pimping or half-hearted gratitude. I think it lacks some raw vibes and excellent media synthesis that those above Bellerin have, but that’s still excellent.
There will be no hard feelings between Haaland and Dortmund. Everyone knew he wouldn’t stay forever; Nobody does that unless they have a tendency to get hurt in the saddest of times. With that said, Haaland has prepared a nice video here. What stands out in Sea of Reels Notable is how he also includes his interactions with fans, who also take the time to thank him in the written portion. It even includes a part at the end that it makes specifically for the video.
This wasn’t just shipped to a video editor with a bunch of goals, no sir. He put some personal effort into this, and this will score you points here.
Well, I’ll totally give you this: It’s not amazing. He hardly says anything at all. But wouldn’t that fit Mane well? Wouldn’t it be totally weird to see him totally tired with the whole thing? He’s always been a more than talkative businessman when it comes to the game, after all.
He works here short and sweet. He just does that.
This is a very nice note to leave Leon, but the real stars of the show are Paquita’s children. Did he know that he helped create the physical appearances of the children of Precious Moments? Are these kids doing Gerber ads yet? Anyway, nice note, lovely family. fair play.
This is a well made and edited video, and I definitely love the choice to paste in an audio clip of the old interview. There is some refreshing honesty there, and in his own written commentary, he references his growth as a player and as a human being. Really, that sounds like it has all the elements of success here, but…it all seems a little bit mechanical, doesn’t it? We get some really nice top players. We get the achievements at the end. But this appears to be all about the pound, and not really about his relationship with Manchester City. It just kind of works a bit like being a really cool farewell message, I feel.
This is another thing that looks a lot like a featured reel video. It may be truer, but a well composed video showing Pogba’s time in United’s youth ranks before moving on to his later accomplishments with the club. And frankly, it’s a bit more honest than I’ve come to expect from Pogba, given the heartache his fans have had over the years. Is that why this thing seems to have been recorded by Hans Zimmer? Perhaps the giant brass “BWAAAA” is the sound of cognitive dissonance? We may never know for sure.
A special farewell video to end all video farewells. We just got some of Rudiger’s highlights with Chelsea, and that’s it. The song selection is great, and I will always appreciate how well the music fits the lyrics. We’re just not getting in the way of something special here, no lyrics outside of the backing music.
It’s perfectly fine as a deposit for the club, but it leaves one small thing to be desired.
Lewandowski props, because if I felt the way he clearly felt he was treated at the end of Bayern’s tenure, I’d send a little tik tok as my goodbye. Instead, he’s actually following up on the suggestions here, as seriously as possible when you’re parting with your eight-year club on rather poor terms. It’s a good farewell message, but you can almost hear the tension in it.
Hey boys. We have to try a little harder than this. The people at the top of this list make short art films meant for people who, in many cases, will never be asked to care for them again.
If we’re just going to post a simple photo, let’s at least make the caption memorable, shall we?
If you’re reading this and thinking to yourself “Wait, who’s Nico Williams again” then the answer is “Obviously someone who was ready to get out of Liverpool”, based on this farewell letter. For someone who’s spent 15 years with the club, you’d probably expect a little over three sentences. Nice collage, but it doesn’t do it for me. Just as Williams and Forrest didn’t do much of anything against Manchester City on Wednesday.
Let’s be clear about one thing here. This is the worst farewell message on this listAnd it’s also probably my favorite farewell on this list, because it’s the only one to publicly antagonize the former club.
“I chose not to communicate during this transfer window despite all the criticism and all the false and often misleading comments, even when they were coming from the club” just an absolutely unbelievable sentence. trivial to the extreme. He extends his thanks to Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers, despite the fact that he says Rodgers chose to “expose” him recently. There is no sadness here, and half the gratitude is expressed in irony. Mostly there is a sense of complacency, and frankly, it’s funny.
And the picture at the top? He doesn’t even say “thank you”. She just says “goodbye”. As a measure of sincere goodbye, this is a message that doesn’t even come close to Williams. But as pure content to be enjoyed as a non-Leicester fan? It is a pure gift, and we should be thankful for it.