Juventus Bid Emotional Farewell to Mario Mandzukic as Striker Completes Move to Qatar

​Juventus have penned an emotional goodbye to Mario Mandzukic, after the Croatian completed his switch to Qatari side Al-Duhail.

Mandzukic joined the Italian giants back in June 2015 and went on to make 162 appearances for the club, finding the back of the net on 44 occasions. 

However, the 33-year-old did not play a single minute of competitive action under new manager Maurizio Sarri this season, with the Italian preferring the trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuaín and Paulo Dybala. As a result, there was much speculation regarding his future at the club. 

Mandzukic ​finally completed his long-awaited exit after he joined Al-Duhail. ​Juventus have now bid the attacker farewell and have thanked him for being a vital member of the squad during his time at the club. 

"Four years as a protagonist, with many beautiful and decisive goals. Mario Mandzukic was a fundamental player for Juventus, and in these past four and a half years, he contributed an enormous amount to the success of the club. As of January 2020, he will continue his career in Qatar with Al-Duhail," a statement on the ​club's official website revealed.

"The Croatian bids farewell to Juventus after massing up nine trophies: four Scudetti, three Italian Cups, and two Italian Super Cups. And in every trophy that was lifted towards the sky, his mark was on it, whether it was slotting the ball into the back of the net or jostling different opponents to create space for his comrades. 

"Super Mario wore the jersey with pride, charisma, and a sense of belonging in the 162 occasions he put on the black and white jersey, where he scored 44 goals: 31 in the league, two in Coppa Italia, one in the Super Cup and 10 in the UEFA Champions league. Not to mention, who can forget the fantastic goal scored in Cardiff against Real Madrid?"

Mandzukic proved during his time at the club that he is a versatile attacker, with the player often used on the left-wing in order to accommodate for the needs of the team. Despite this, he continued to prove his worth, scoring numerous crucial goals for his side. 

"His aerial ability is one of his strongest suits, along with his calm and ruthless presence inside the box. It goes without saying that Mandzukic is a multi-faceted footballer, who at Juventus, was also invented into a wide striker in order to suit the needs of the team. His versatility left the supporters amazed, after initially thinking he was a man for the penalty area and nothing else.

"Mandzukic is the Croatian player to have scored the most goals in Serie A with the Juventus jersey (31), while only Dybala (11) has scored more goals than him (10) in the last four UEFA Champions League seasons. 

"But, above all, 16 of his 31 goals in Serie A were scored with the scoreline at 0-0. This figure alone shows how decisive Mr. No Good was during his experience in black and white. Thanks for these four fantastic years, Marione! And good luck!"