André Gomes says that Everton will always be in his heart as he bids farewell to the Club after almost six years on Merseyside.
In a specially-recorded video posted to social media, the Portuguese midfielder thanked the fans for their support and the staff and players at the Club for making his time with the Blues so special.
Gomes was initially a loan signing from Barcelona where he had struggled to live up to hype suggested by his big-money move from Valencia but, after a year with the Toffees, he was signed in a permanent deal worth a reported £24m.
However, his first season as a full-time Everton player was wrecked by injury, first when he cracked a rib and was sidelined for a month and then by a horrible fracture dislocation of his right ankle sustained in a Premier League match against Tottenham following a reckless lunge by Son Hueng-min.
Gomes made a remarkably swift return to action, making it back onto the field in just 112 days but he was never able to recapture the form that had prompted the Blaugrana to shell out €35m on him in 2016.
Over the next four seasons, he would make just 27 League starts as a mixture of injury, poor form, the revolving door of managers at Goodison Park and a season-long loan at Lille combined to restrict his opportunities.
He scored the pick of his four Everton goals this season in the FA Cup replay against Crystal Palace, a whipped, curling free-kick that won the tie for the Blues but, ultimately, he wasn’t able to hold down a spot in the team and leaves the Club this summer at the end of his five-year contract.
His goodbye message in full reads:
Dear Evertonians,
I’m doing this video for you as a message of gratitude for all the time we spent together.
The last few weeks were tough, [both] for me and for my family. My time with the Blue shirt came to an end, but I have to tell you how proud I am [of] all these years.
This club is full of history with big moments but also with difficult situations that should make us learn from that. But both situations have one thing in common – your passion for this wonderful football club, the love, the relentless fighting spirit, the hard work.
There’s another word how special you are: family. Going through up and downs, emotions and amazing atmosphere, you never give up on us. You never give up on the person next to you and that’s what community is all about. There [are] no words to describe the impact you have on helping others.
I’m very fortunate and thankful for all the experience and moments we shared together. I met so many wonderful people and I’m touched [by] all of you that made me and my family feel special.
This message was not supposed to be too long but just a thank you message wouldn’t be enough.
My family grew under your umbrella and nowadays I have my kids singing Everton songs every day. I guess you did a wonderful job because I’m sure we’ll never forget our time with you.
I’m not the best person for showing emotions but those who really know me understand how much this means to me, People say that good things somewhere along the line will come to an end and maybe this is the case but I’ll leave with my heart full of memories and wonderful moments.
And for that, I want to thank you.
One last word to all the staff, players and employees I had the chance to work with: You know how much I love you and how much I will miss you. Thank you, family.
Always in my heart.