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37 Matchweeks down, 1 to go. 🔜 The Final Day

Dear football, Today, I want to share with you that this season will be my last as a professional footballer. After so many years living my dream, I feel it’s time to start a new chapter in my life. Being honest, even though I have been preparing myself for this moment, I found it hard to write this letter. After 20 seasons , many people have played an important role in my career. When I first kicked a ball as a child in Pamplona with my schoolmates, I never imagined the amazing journey ahead. I’m grateful for every moment: the wins, the tough losses, the challenges, and most of all, the people I’ve met and the friendships I’ve made along the way. To my teammates, coaches, and every staff member at all the clubs I’ve been lucky to be part of, thank you for helping me grow as a person and a player every day. Wearing the shirts of CA Osasuna, Olympique Marseille, Chelsea FC, Atlético de Madrid, Sevilla FC, and representing my country at the biggest stages has been a true privilege. Every moment has meant so much to me…

HT: Aston Villa 2-0 Freiburg. TWO UNBELIEVABLE GOALS GIVE ASTON VILLA THE LEAD AT HALFT-TIME! 🔥

🚨Protest Update 🚨 Following discussions held over the weekend and after gaining feedback from supporters, we have decided not to proceed with our in-stadium demonstration at tomorrow’s match against Tottenham. We wish to be very clear this is in no way a statement of intent to cease and desist with our efforts to restore the values and identity that made this club great. We are always trying to gauge the mood among supporters and demonstrate our frustrations when the time feels right, and on reflection, we wish to take a step back and review our position over the summer before taking further action. While we have huge reservations about how much 'self reflection' has happened at the club when not one sporting director seems to have been held accountable for the failings of the past four seasons, we understand that as supporters, there will always be a glimmer of hope following a promising managerial hire like Xabi Alonso. We feel supporters’ protest marches may have been influential in pushing the club to replace Liam Rosenior with someone more worthy of the role. However, we know Chelsea supporters are tired of this season and the loss of what a great feeling it should be following our club, and a demonstration at this point would not feel like the right timing. It’s not just the protest marches that have made a difference and we are not trying to claim victory there. Wider supporter scrutiny has also played its role, with greater focus on financials and increased media attention. It will take considerably more than one appropriate managerial hire for us to believe Blueco are suitable custodians of our club and huge question marks remain over their intentions and capability in a number of areas, including ticket prices, a potential new stadium, record financial losses, front-of-shirt sponsorship and respecting the club’s identity. We’ll be keeping a close eye on developments across the summer. We’ll also be looking at how best we approach next season as we look to formalise the NotAProjectCFC group. As a fanbase, we weren’t ready or prepared for an ownership group of this nature and with question marks over some of those who currently hold positions to represent the fans, we believe a group who can directly hold the club to account with total independence is required. As such, NotAProjectCFC will be in touch in due course to gauge supporter views on further action. For now, we wish everyone a happy and restful summer. UTC!