'Gave my best' - Joao Gomes issues message after leaving Wolves for Aston Villa

Joao Gomes has delivered a heartfelt message of thanks to Wolves after completing his £38million transfer to Villa.

The midfielder has left Molineux and moved across the West Midlands after three-and-a-half years and 130 appearances for the club.

In a video posted on Instagram, Gomes thanked Wolves for helping him develop “as an athlete and a human being”.

And though the Brazilian acknowledged the timing of his departure, following the club’s relegation from the Premier League, was not ideal, he will still look back with pride at his efforts on the field.

“Wolves, today I am here to say thank you,” said Gomes. “Thank you for every detail I experienced, for every lesson learned.

“Thank you for welcoming me and making me feel part of the family from day one.

“Here I evolved as an athlete and a human being, in these beautiful years representing this club and this city.

“I leave the club not in the situation I wanted but satisfied I gave my best in every training session and game.

“I will always be cheering for you and I will always be grateful.”

In a separate social media post, Gomes described his work with the Wolves Foundation as his “greatest legacy” at Molineux.

The former Flamengo man was a regular visitor to the Foundation’s activities and took a particular interest in the Wolf Words project.

That saw Gomes, who has a stammer, visit several schools where the scheme delivered support to children with speech and language difficulties.

He was named a PFA community champion earlier this year and was also the club’s community player of the year last season.

“This is my greatest legacy as a player, look at the community,” wrote Gomes. “I will miss it.”