Nine years, five major trophies, Pablo Zabaleta is leaving Manchester City in a much better place than when he joined the club.
A firm fan-favourite, he is a player that gets respect from fans and players around the Premier League for his hard-working attitude and the high standards he has held in term of performances in the league for the best part of a decade.
Tuesday night offered Zabaleta a chance to say goodbye to the Etihad Stadium, and he was introduced by Pep Guardiola with half-an-hour remaining, and the reception was fantastic. City would go on to win 3-1 against West Brom, but the night was all about Pablo.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game the Argentinian revealed that it was difficult for him to play after that, and his honesty in terms of getting across how upset he was to be leaving the club despite having done what he felt was enough was actually heartbreaking.
Sometimes in life you have to make tough decisions and always think what's best for myself and the family, for the club especially.
I though I had done enough, it's the right time, probably, for me to move on, but believe me I love so much this club.
That hesitation before the "probably", it's clear he wants to stay.
Unfortunately, Pep Guardiola leaves very little room for sentiment in his decisions when it comes to his playing squad, and with City likely to sign more than one fullback in the summer there simply wouldn't be much playing time to justify keeping him around.
That said, it's going to be tough to say goodbye to a player that has given so much during a time when Manchester City established themselves as one of the top sides in England.
