Dries Mertens said a difficult goodbye to the Napoli fans today, looking emotional as he reflected on his time in the Campania capital.
The Belgian forward left the Partenopei last month after his contract expired, and despite his wishes an acceptable contract renewal was not offered. The Napoli president has made it clear that he wanted to cut the wage bill in order to revitalise the squad with fresh, young talent.
A visibly emotional Mertens addressed the Napoli fans in a video posted to social media this evening, saying goodbye and thanking them for all their love and support over the years.
“Dear Napoletani, I knew this day would eventually come, but I didn’t know how difficult it would be to say goodbye.
“This city adopted me, loved me and supported me. The records and victories will be in the history books, but the people will always be in my heart and I’m very happy that my son Ciro was born here.
“For 9 years, Naples was my home, the city became part of me and I decided to keep my house on the Gulf. I can only thank everyone, I didn’t leave as I would’ve liked but for me it’s not a farewell, it’s only a goodbye. Napoli, how much fun we had…”
During his nine year spell with Napoli, Mertens made 396 appearances across all competitions, helping the side win two Coppa Italia and a Supercoppa Italiana. He became the club’s all-time top scorer, netting 148 goals, more than club legends like Diego Maradona and Marek Hamsik. He also provided 90 assists across his time with the club.
Martens was a great player for Napoli. I always enjoyed watching him play.