Abidal writes emotional farewell letter to Barcelona fans after quitting

Abidal confirms it was his decision to leave the Catalan club and the Blaugrana legend explains he hasn't achieved his targets as a sporting director.

"Dearest Barcelonistas, I wanted to take advantage of this time to say goodbye to you all. I do so feeling more grateful than you can imagine," Eric Abidal has written on his open letter to the Blaugrana fans after leaving his post as a sporting director.

His message continues: "This second goodbye comes after two years where I've worked hard to make Barca better."

The Frenchman confirmed he decided to leave by himself: "After two intense seasons I've decided to walk away. After the Board of Directors confirmed I would stay on this Monday, I handed in my resignation on Tuesday."

On the reasons behind this decision, Abidal added: "During those last two years I've tried to make the changes I believed were very important to the future of the first team.

"Despite my conviction and insistence, I haven't achieved that. That is why I believe it's the right time to bring an end to my time at the club."

Abidal served as Barca's sporting director for two years, between 2018 and 2020. Yet, he was criticised for the coaching merry-go-round last season, as well as for the infamous public spat with Leo Messi this February.