Jordi Alba will leave Barcelona at the end of the season after 11 years at the club, the Catalan side said on Wednesday.
“Barcelona publicly expresses its gratitude to Jordi Alba for the professionalism, commitment, dedication and always positive and warm treatment he has always shown towards everything that makes up the Barcelona family.”
This season, the 34-year-old veteran Spanish left-back was replaced in the team by adolescent Alejandro Balde.
Although Alba had one year left on his contract, which expires in 2024, and according to Spanish media, he will waive a major portion of his salary to assist the club in its financial troubles.
The Spaniard follows captain Sergio Busquets out of the club this summer.
On Sunday, the pair will play their final home game at Camp Nou against Real Mallorca.
Alba has appeared in almost 450 games for Barcelona, scoring 27 goals and assisting 91 times.
Barcelona won 1-0 thanks to the defender’s recent strike against Osasuna, putting them on the verge of winning the title.
He also helped Spain win the European Championship in 2012, scoring in a 4-0 victory over Italy in the final.
Under Luis Enrique, one of his best seasons came in 2015, when he helped Barcelona win the treble. Like Busquets and Lionel Messi, the left-back has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.
Alba joined Barcelona’s academy as a teenager before leaving for Cornella and then Valencia, returning to Camp Nou for 14 million euros ($15 million).
AFP