Valdes to leave Barcelona in 2014
Reuters - Friday 18 January 2013, 14:49
Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes has rejected the chance to renew his
contract and will leave at the end of his current deal in 2014, sports
director Andoni Zubizarreta said on Friday.
Spain's number two behind Iker Casillas has just turned 31 and has played for Barca since joining their academy in 1995.
"We
let them know our interest in renewing his contract because he is a
keeper of the highest level," Zubizarreta told Barca TV, after the first
meeting between the club and his representatives to discuss his future.
"Before
we could put forward any proposals or speak about anything, his
representative told us that the decision had been considered and taken,
that he would not continue after June 30, 2014. It's an irrevocable
decision."
Barca coach Tito Vilanova told a later news conference he was surprised by the decision but supported his first choice keeper.
"Victor did not ask to leave, he just said he's not renewing his contract and we have to respect that," he said.
"There
is never a good time for a player like Victor to say that he is leaving
the club. I don't know what the ideal moment would be.
"As
long as he carries on performing like he has done then I'll have no
doubts about him continuing to play. I don't doubt his professionalism
in the slightest.
"I don't
think he's upset with us, but quite the opposite. Barca is a magnificent
place, but we all have the right to go off and play in other places,
cultures and clubs."
RESPECT DECISION
Valdes
made his first team debut in the 2002/03 season and has worn the number
one jersey since the following campaign, helping Barca win three
Champions League titles and five La Liga crowns.
Valdes hinted at a news conference earlier this month that he would like to try his luck abroad.
Zubizarreta
asked fans to "respect the professional decision of a player who has
spent 12 years here. We are asking you to continue supporting him and to
encourage him as much as you have done throughout his career.
"He is committed to this jersey until June 30, 2014 and will defend the goal with everything he has.
"Meanwhile,
we shall work together to see what the next steps should be, along with
him and his agent, to work together to deal with this situation that
arose yesterday."
Reserve
keeper Jose Manuel Pinto is 37 so Barca have a job on their hands to
find a long-term replacement for Valdes, a brilliant shot stopper and
talented ball player, who often starts off much of the side's patient
possession football.
Valdes has won Spain's Zamora award for the fewest goals conceded in La Liga for the past four seasons in a row.
He
is one of only two men to have won the award five times along with his
predecessor at Barcelona Antoni Ramallets, who played in the 1950s and
early 1960s.