Heurelho Gomes has said an emotional goodbye to Watford after it was finally confirmed he had left the club.

The goalkeeper's contract expired at the end of last season, a campaign many had not expected him to be around for, with his one-year contract renewal signed late the season before, after he had said he wanted to return home to Brazil to be a pastor.

Having spent six years at Vicarage Road, Gomes told the club website he felt emotional at the prospect of leaving and that he never imagined he would be with them for quite so long.

“It's emotional, always,” he said. “I never thought I'd be here for six years. When I signed [in the summer of 2014] my aim was to get promoted but it was more than a dream. I had six great years, apart from the last one, but I don't think people will forget the good times we've had together.”

Watford Observer:

Even though his time with the club ended in relegation, Gomes insists he finished on a high point and said that Watford allowed him to "dream" one more time after his contract expired with Tottenham Hotspur.

“This place means a lot as they made me dream again,” he said.

“My contract ended at Spurs and I was on my way back to Brazil and a day before my flight back to Brazil, they called me [to sign]. They helped me believe I could keep pushing my level and to finish [my career] on a high. I still believed I finished on a high even with what's happened. It wasn't the way I wanted to finish.”

Although he did not play much in his final two seasons with the club, following the arrival of Ben Foster, Gomes said he was never just there for the money.

Watford Observer:

He added that he will miss the daily routine and people who he claims were "like family".

The goalkeeper hopes one day he can return to the Vic to say a proper goodbye.

“I was never here for the money,” he said. “I was here to work for the money. I put the club before myself and money.

“I will miss the day to day, the people. I made very good friends here. I am sad because I am leaving a place I like a lot. The way people treated me was incredible: they treat me like a part of their family.

“I will take some time off with my family but I'll be around and I'll be involved in football. One hundred per cent I'll be back to say goodbye to the fans. Whatever the club needs from me, I'll be available.”