Sad that he is leaving, but it's the right time for him and for us. And the opportunity for him to return to Anderlecht as a player manager is right for him, an opportunity to still play at a level his body should be able to cope with, to test himself as a manager, to develop young players at the club that developed him. Perhaps he also sees it as an opportunity to give his children a different lifestyle, to experience his own culture, language etc - that has to be good for them.
First heard of him in Football Manager, one of those promising young players you had to try and sign - was surprised to see that his career had stalled in Germany and he was available to us at the time - it felt like a bit of a coup, yet also a risk for both club and player - perhaps he was never going to fulfil his potential and all he could aspire to was a struggling Premier League club, or we were a stepping stone onto a bigger move. As it is it turned out, it was the perfect match, he grew as the club grew, we learned to win together. Instead of being uncertain whether he was a defensive midfielder or centre back he became the perfect centre back, he was clearly captain by default by the the time of FA Cup semi-final and there was no doubt who would become the long term leader. It has been such a privilege to watch him play and to know that he is our captain.
I hope we will see him back at City in some capacity, perhaps as a manager, or Technical director - but whatever I know we will follow his career with interest and affection - just hope he doesn't turn up managing a rival one day. But wherever he goes we will see a team looking to play football the right way and we will see a team that won't know when it is beaten.
