Former Chelsea prospect pens emotional goodbye to long-time club

Chelsea’s loan army has employed hundreds of young prospects over the years. It’s one of the most interesting concepts in world football, yet also amongst the most mysterious. The journey is different for every individual and few outside of those who have experienced life in the loan army truly know what it’s like. Given the number of loanees every year and the longevity of the project, there have naturally been a lot of forgettable figures employed by the club.

On the other side, there are fan favorites and names we’ve all known for quite awhile. These are the ones we grow to love, the individuals we root for regardless of what shirts they wear, hoping they can finally break through one day. Marco van Ginkel, now a former Blues prospect, falls into this category. His time at Chelsea officially comes to an end on June 30 when he is released from the club. Both sides have expressed their appreciation for one another, but it was van Ginkel’s emotional goodbye (mostly the nostalgic photos) that tugged at our heartstrings.

Van Ginkel took to Instagram on Saturday to pen an emotional farewell to the club he’s been a part of since 2013. He shared a collection of photos—from his first appearance under Jose Mourinho to posing with John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic and Nathan Ake to his family walking the streets of London donning his kit—and wrote the following message:

"I want to thank @chelseafc for the last 8 years. A big thank you to the club for the unconditional support, especially during my periods of rehabilitation. Thanks to the staff, my former teammates and the fans as well. I felt at home from the very first moment in London 💙💙 #CFC #chelsea"

The 28-year-old will go down as one of the unluckiest players in the Blues’ history, if such a list exists. The midfielder that was once dubbed by Peter Bosz as “the next Frank Lampard” played just four times for his parent club during his eight years with Chelsea. His first season came to a premature end due to an ACL injury, his time in Milan was ruined by knocks and a few more injuries—most recently a two-year absence with a torn ACL—saw his PSV career halted. Thankfully, van Ginkel is one of the most resilient individuals on the planet.

He is now on his way back to The Netherlands as he returns to PSV, this time on a permanent deal. It’s van Ginkel’s fourth spell with the club in which he’s been most successful. The 28-year-old will undoubtedly get an opportunity to captain the side he led to a title a few years ago, also while wearing the armband. PSV finished a distant second in the Eredivisie last season. The Boeren will be looking to take the title back from Ajax en route to their first league win since 2017/18. Van Ginkel will have to be a key figure in the starting XI if PSV is to dethrone the reigning champions.

It’s hard not to be happy for the midfielder. Van Ginkel has spent his entire career bouncing from place to place, trying to get an opportunity and stay healthy. He is an incredibly talented individual with a wonderful attitude. He’s now back home playing for a club he knows better than the back of his hand; this is the way things had to end. All of us at The Pride of London wish van Ginkel the best of luck going forward, we will be rooting for him.

What did you make of van Ginkel’s message? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!