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Crystal Palace FC officially announced through their social media handles about the departure of 35-year-old defensive main-stay Joel Ward after 13 long years at the club on May 13. The English defender has donned the Palace jersey for more than a decade and has been one of its primary defensive figures in recent history. Slotting in at the right-back or right-sided centre-back position, Ward has played a total of 363 games for his club. Having moved to Selhurst Park in 2013 from Portsmouth, Ward initially played for the youth ranks of Palace before transitioning into the senior team.
Interestingly, the season Joel signed for Crystal Palace was the one where they played in the Premier League for the first time after being promoted from the EFL Championship, and they have since not been relegated even once, finishing in a strong mid-table position ever since. In a long and emotional video posted by the club on it’s official social media handles, Joel Ward has announced his decision of leaving the club and has left a heart-felt message for all the Crystal Palace supporters.
This isn’t a goodbye, it’s merely a see you later: Ward speaks out Crystal Palace fans in heartfelt message
In the video, he said, “I guess for me it’s been a huge privilege to wear this shirt and to represent this club. From the outset, all I’ve wanted to do was to play football and I’ve achieved that. And I’ve achieved a dream of mine to play the highest level and to play in the Premier League.” After reminiscing about the highlights of his career through a series of selected videos and photos, Ward signed off by saying, “It’s been a journey and a heck of a good one. I’ve loved it. I wore my heart on my sleeve… This isn’t a goodbye, it’s merely a see-you later.”
Crystal Palace have a chance to give a befitting farewell to their club veteran in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City on May 17. In the club’s entire history, they have never won a major first division trophy, so it would be quite an event if they manage the lift one on Saturday, coinciding with Ward’s farewell season at Palace.
