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“It’s been an honour to have played here”
Granero pays tribute to the club and the fans and says he is sure that the team will “fulfill its objectives”
Esteban Granero has brought the curtain down on his time at Espanyol with a press conference in which he expressed his deep gratitude to the club and his certainty that the team will overcome the difficulties they are facing.
“For me, it’s a sad day because Espanyol has meant so much to me for these past two and a half years. I feel a bit like I’m leaving with unfinished business, but I’m incredibly proud to have been an Espanyol player. It’s hard to describe. It’s been a privilege to be part of this club. I believe that I’ve done what I set out to do when I signed here in terms of helping the club to qualify for Europe. We achieved that objective together. I’m also convinced that my teammates will fulfill the club’s objectives. Not only in Europe, but also in the league – securing survival. I’m absolutely convinced that the team will succeed in this effort”, he said.
He went on to pay tribute “to my teammates, who made me one of the club’s captains in one of the most important moments of my career”, to the coaches, club employees, medics, assistants, the board and “to Perarnau and Rufete because I know that they’re doing the best they can to take the club forward in its pursuit of its goals”.
He also thanked the fans, recalling, “both in the stadium and in the city I’ve felt great respect from every ‘perico’ I’ve ever come across. I have one thing to ask: believe in the team, trust the players and the staff because everything they do, they do with passion and professionalism”.
“There’s nothing missing from my time at Espanyol”, he insisted. He reiterated, “I look back on my time here and I have no regrets about my work and experiences here. I’m sad to be leaving after all I’ve experienced here, but I am proud of, and satisfied with what I have accomplished. If I had to emphasise one thing, it would be my pride at having played for this club”.
He highlighted his “total confidence” that the path the club has taken is “the right one. The people working for the club behind the scenes are doing so with great professionalism, passion, sense of belonging and pride. The plan for things to come is very impressive. Hopefully the fans will get behind the club, as I’m sure they will, to make the plan a reality”.
Finally, he said that the main thing he would take away from his time at Espanyol was “a pride in belong. Being a ‘perico’ is very special. A ‘perico’ doesn’t have any sense of inferiority. They are proud, and that makes this club special”.
The Vicepresident, Carlos García Pont, who accompanied the player at the press conference, praised “The professionalism and human touch that Granero has always shown. He will always be part of Espanyol’s history. There are some people that, when they spend time at any organisation, make them better. This club is better now than it was he arrived and he has played an important part in that improvement”.