Marques Bids Farewell to Barça After 12 Years
After 12 years in blaugrana, Marques has closed the door on his Camp Nou chapter with a farewell that reads less like a routine goodbye and more like a final page from a childhood diary.
The midfielder, who joined Barça at just eight years old and eventually realised his dream of debuting for the first team against Mallorca in February 2026, used his official Instagram account to address the people and the club that shaped him.
“After 12 years, the time has come to say goodbye to the club that has watched me grow up since I was eight,” he wrote, laying out the weight of the moment before retracing the path that brought him here. Every season, every training session, every match, every trip, every victory – he framed them as pieces of a journey he insists was “truly worthwhile.”
He didn’t gloss over the darker stretches. Marques spoke openly about “the toughest moments, the injuries, and the times filled with doubt and suffering,” stressing that those setbacks were as important as the triumphs. “All of them taught me valuable lessons and helped me get to where I am today,” he said, insisting he leaves “with the peace of mind of having given my all.”
At the heart of it lies the milestone that defined his dream: breaking into the Barça first team. Marques described that debut as the culmination of a fight that lasted more than a decade, admitting it was a dream he “never imagined” would actually come true when he first walked through the doors as a child. Those minutes with the senior side, he wrote, produced “unforgettable, unique moments” he will carry with him for life.
His message then widened to everyone who stood alongside him. Coaches, team-mates “many of whom have become great friends,” physios, doctors, and club staff all received their share of gratitude. “Each of them has played a part in shaping the player and the person I am today,” he noted.
The thanks stretched beyond the club walls. Marques highlighted his parents, sisters, partner, and friends for their unconditional support, crediting them with helping to turn a boyhood dream into reality. He underlined how much the shirt has meant to him, stating he has worn the Barça badge “with great pride” and promising he always will.
If the tone was grateful, it was also raw. Marques didn’t hide the sting of his departure. “I won’t deny that it hurts to leave,” he admitted, calling the timing “unexpected” and far from the farewell he had imagined to “the club of my life.” Yet he framed the decision as necessary for his development and as an act born from love for the institution, adding that over these 12 years he has learned to “understand and respect the decisions that have been made along the way.”
He leaves with no bridges burned and no bitterness on show. Marques wished the club well for the future and closed his letter with one final tribute to the place that raised him: “Barça has given me everything. Thank you for these 12 years. Thank you for helping me grow, for teaching me, for challenging me, and for allowing me to live a dream – at the club of my life – that I will remember forever. Long live Barca, always.”
A boy who walked in at eight leaves as a first-team graduate. What comes next will be his story alone.
