JORDI Alba was in tears as he received a standing ovation walking off the Camp Nou pitch for the final time.
The Spanish left-back was in action against Mallorca, a game Barcelona would win comfortably 3-0.
But in the 79th minute, Alba was replaced my Marcos Alonso to a standing ovation from the home faithful.
The 91-cap Spain star was visibly moved by the gesture and reduced to tears as he made his way to the touchline.
On his way, he was consoled by various team-mates who gave him a hug as his emotions got the better of him.
Last week, it was announced the 34-year-old would leave the LaLiga giants this summer after 11 trophy-laden years.
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He will leave the club with immediate effect, despite having one more year on his contract.
He uploaded a farewell video on his social media pages, which Barcelona also shared.
Alba confirmed in February he was willing to walk away following Barcelona’s recent financial woes.
And the defender is likely to have a host of clubs chasing his signature after being strongly linked with Inter Milan last year.
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Alba joined Barcelona from Valencia for around ÂŁ11million in 2012.
He has since scored 27 goals in 458 appearances for the Spanish giants.
And Alba has scooped numerous trophies including six LaLiga titles, five Copa del Reys and a Champions League.
The veteran had been a decent squad member for Xavi this season, playing 29 times in all competitions.
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But the capture of Alonso from Chelsea last year, plus the emergence of youngster Alejandro Balde, saw most of Alba’s appearances come from the bench.
He’s not the first old boy to call it a day, with Gerard Pique retiring from football midway through the season.
Sergio Busquets is also moving on this summer.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
