Teun Koopmeiners finally got his transfer to Juventus and said goodbye to fans, insisting he ‘always respected Atalanta’ despite the circumstances of his exit.
The midfielder was relatively unknown when making the move from AZ Alkmaar to Bergamo in the summer of 2021 for €14m.
His value practically quadrupled during that time, as Juve paid €54.7m to purchase him, with another €6m in add-ons.
Koopmeiners criticised by Atalanta fans
The Dutchman refused to participate in the UEFA Super Cup clash with Real Madrid or their opening Serie A fixtures, as he wanted to force through the transfer to Juventus.
As a result, his farewell message on Instagram received a mixed reception.
“Atalanta fans, people of Bergamo, Atalanta,” wrote Koopmeiners.
“I had 3 wonderful years in Bergamo! Playing in front of fantastic fans with whom we shared evenings of great football.
“I loved the city of Bergamo. Certainly, our best moment was represented by victory in the Europa League! You will always have a special place in my heart!
“It is important to me to thank all my teammates, the staff, the club and fans with whom I shared all of this! I can say that I always gave my all for this club.
“I will never forget the history that we wrote together. I always respected Atalanta and I always will!
“Thank you again from my heart and I send a big hug!”
While some fans confirmed Koopmeiners had given his best to them and is only the latest to move on to bigger things, many others were very critical of the way he tried to force his way out of the club.
This included providing a series of medical certificates that excluded him from training, refusing to play the biggest game in their history against Real Madrid.
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