José María Giménez Bids Farewell to Atlético Madrid After 13 Years in Emotional Video

Thirteen years add up to a lot. More than 350 matches, a league title, a UEFA Super Cup, knee scars, and a bond that doesn't simply break when a jersey changes. That's why, when José María Giménez posted a video on social media saying goodbye to Atlético Madrid, half the Metropolitano ended up in tears in front of their phones.

The Uruguayan, on loan this season to Deportivo La Coruña, chose to close out his time at Atlético with footage tracing his history at the club: from the 18 year old who arrived on April 24, 2013, to the armband wearing captain who earned the nickname "El Comandante" through sheer commitment and the occasional decisive header.

In the video, Giménez held nothing back. He spoke about what it meant to wear that jersey for more than a decade and everything he learned along the way.

So many feelings, so many emotions, it's a whole lifetime. I came to the club at 18 years old, I learned what Atlético Madrid is, what unity is, what communion isJosé María Giménez

That idea, the communion between fan and player, was the heart of the whole message. Giménez stressed that this bond with the supporters was what carried him through so many years of physical sacrifice and leaving everything on the field in every duel.

There's a tremendous communion between the fans, the players and the club. The Atlético Madrid fan knows what I left behind for this jersey and what these colors mean. To me, they're everythingJosé María Giménez

A closing without detours

The post also carried a short line that summed up better than any speech what the Uruguayan defender felt writing it: "I love you all." No frills, no roundabout way of putting it, just like the way he played on the field himself.

The fans' response came quickly. Within minutes, the post filled up with comments thanking Giménez for his commitment, recalling specific plays and pointing out that few players on the current squad had spent so long defending the crest. It's no small detail that he was one of the last survivors of the Simeone era still at the club until this transfer window.

Now, wearing the Deportivo La Coruña jersey, Giménez will look to regain rhythm and playing time at a different club, under different demands and in a different context. But the message he left before departing makes clear that, for him, Atlético Madrid isn't just another stop in his career, but a chapter that shaped much of his footballing identity.