Zabaleta thanks Man City fans for their support as he bids farewell

Pablo Zabaleta has thanked the Manchester City fans for their support over his nine years at the Etihad.

The Argentina international has announced he will leave City at the end of the season and received a great send off in his final home game.

Zabaleta won two Premier League titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup in his time at Manchester City and says the club will always be in his heart.

He said: “I need to appreciate all that I loved in the nine years. My heart is in this city, it’s in this club, for sure.

“Wearing that shirt was something so special. I know what it means to play for this football club, and that’s why the fans, thank you for your support, for being always behind the team and I hope you can enjoy in the future more trophies and good moments.

Picture: Getty

“Thank you so much, from the deepest of my heart.”

Zabaleta  was given the opportunity to say goodbye to the supporters with a farewell speech and presentation on the pitch after City’s 3-1 win over West Brom.

And City skipper Vincent Kompany paid tribute to the defender, he said: “I think he represents a lot of the values that the people of Manchester look up to.

“Very simple things but, you know, hard work, commitment, passion – all these things that you associate with people from Manchester.

“The rest of it is he was a good player. His quality and how he was able to improve the team over so many years was something hard to do. And there was a lot of competition around, too, so for him to stick around for that long and have an impact for that long is pretty special.”