Juan Cruz: "It Has Been an Honor to Defend This Crest"

Defender Juan Cruz held a press conference to bid farewell to Club Atlético Osasuna after six seasons. Cruz began by thanking everyone who supported him during his tenure with the club.

“First, I want to thank the club for giving me this chance to say goodbye,” Cruz said. “From the bottom of my heart, I thank Braulio and Cata, the board of directors, and everyone who has walked alongside me these years. It has been a pleasure. I don’t want to miss the opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me. I am eternally grateful. It has been an honor to defend this crest, and I hope we continue to see each other.”

Cruz leaves the club after making 164 appearances for the club. He also shared a message for the club’s supporters.

“I want to thank them for the love they’ve shown me. I wish I could have said goodbye on the field, leaving my all out there, but that’s how life goes. Now I have the opportunity to thank them here. It has been an honor to represent them,” Cruz said. “From my first day, I saw the values this club embodies. I did my best to represent them. The first year is never easy—you have to adapt—and I had teammates who helped me understand what it meant to be here. I leave knowing I did my best to represent the club and its values.”

 “I am leaving with the assurance that the club is in good hands. There are people here who love the club more than anything and will do all they can for it. I know there are always people thinking about how to make the club better, and that reassures me,” he said.

“Professionally, I will never forget the Copa del Rey final”

The Madrid native was asked about his most memorable moments and said he valued training every day and being with his teammates. However, he highlighted starting in the Copa del Rey final as a career highlight at Osasuna.

“I will treasure every memory. Going to the Tajonar Sports Complex every day, being with my teammates and the club’s staff—it’s been many years. There have been ups and downs, but I enjoyed them all and was proud to defend these colors. If I have to highlight a moment, professionally, I will never forget the Copa del Rey final. What we lived that day in Seville, seeing the city covered in red, was incredible. That’s a moment I would highlight, but I enjoyed the day-to-day,” Cruz said.

Braulio Vázquez: “I can only thank him”

Osasuna sporting director Braulio Vázquez joined Cruz at the press conference and publicly thanked him for his time and everything he has done for the club.

“I won’t speak much today. You can see the esteem everyone at the club has for Juan. He arrived here six years ago with longer hair. I can only thank him. He has given us a lot on the pitch, but a person's true character is on display in tough moments. He has been through it all: being a starter, not playing much, not at all, and being a third-string player. You should have seen the way he supported the players in his position. I always remember Manu Sánchez's goal against Rayo in the 97th minute, and Juan was the first to celebrate. He has always been respectful to every coach, employee and teammate. I know how much love he has in the locker room, and I can only thank him for being with us and being himself,” Vázquez said.