Touching message! Handanovic says goodbye to Inter after 11 years. Watch his best moments

Inter Milan officially said goodbye to their long-time goalkeeper Samir Handanovic on Thursday. He spent eleven years with the Italian club and celebrated winning several trophies with them. Take a look at his best moments in an Inter Milan jersey.

An icon, a heartthrob and one of the best goalkeepers in the world in his time. Samir Handanovic is leaving Inter Milan for good after eleven years, the club announced this information on its official website on Thursday.

Handanovic’s contract expired at the end of June this year and the Nerazzurri did not extend it. The Slovenian goalkeeper arrived at the San Siro in the summer of 2012, when Inter bought him for 15 million euros from Udinese.

At the time, the Nerazzurri had eyed him as a successor to then star goalkeeper Julio Cesar. And Handanovic fulfilled that role to perfection, being Inter’s clear number one goalkeeper for ten years.

It was only in the last Serie A season that he was replaced between the three sticks by André Onana. In February 2019, the Ljubljana native even became the team’s captain when he took over the armband from striker Mauro Icardi.

During his eleven seasons at Inter, Handanovic played a total of 455 games, recording 166 clean sheets, while conceding 471 goals. He was sent off three times and received 22 yellow cards.

Three times he became Slovenian Footballer of the Year and as far as team trophies are concerned – he won one championship title with Inter, twice Coppa Italia and also twice Supercoppa Italiana. Incidentally, you can see his best moments in an Inter jersey in the video below.

Handanovic on his departure

“I don’t know if I can describe everything after eleven years. I will miss Inter, the San Siro stadium, the fans and the excitement when they start singing. They show you what passion is,” Handanovic said on his Instagram account.

“So many battles won and challenges lost, disappointment and joy. Being myself counts more than anything in our world (I mean football) of hypocrites, I tried to be a human being before a footballer,” the thirty-nine-year-old goalkeeper declares.

He went on to thank everyone who was part of Inter during his time there. From the storekeepers, to the implementation team and of course the players, coaches and managers. However, he addressed a special thanks to the fans, who, in his words, helped him to look at football in the right way.

“I am proud to wear this jersey and this armband. I have experienced this privilege because I have always given my best. I will try to play for a few more years. This is my farewell, but I will always be one of you. Thank you, ” he concluded.

Sources: Inter Milan, Transfermarkt, Instagram – Samir Handanovic