Mario Hezonja said goodbye to Real Madrid and its fans with a long letter shared on social media.
“After thinking about it a lot over the last month, I have decided to hold on to the beautiful things I experienced.
During my time in Madrid, I had the privilege of sharing the locker room and life with extraordinary teammates and coaches, people with whom I know I will maintain a relationship for the rest of my life. Over time, I have learned, slowly and often through difficult experiences, that a person’s true greatness is measured precisely by this. It makes me deeply happy to have shared such an important part of my career with people who are so close to me and so exceptional.
I also achieved something incredibly difficult that I will carry with me, with the utmost respect and affection, for the rest of my life: the bond with Real Madrid’s fans. There were many nights when I certainly tested their patience with some shots that only Mario can take without anyone saying anything… and many others when it was you who tested mine. I imagine that is exactly what truly meaningful relationships are like.
Here, from the very first day, the message was crystal clear to me: win everything. And we did it: games, battles, wars, trophies… EVERYTHING! But if there is someone who managed to win me over forever, it was you.
You taught me what it means to feel the closeness of a club that is lived like a family. You turned me into a true winner. The combination of my mentality, my character, my personality and my competitive spirit with Real Madrid’s DNA is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful things that has ever happened to me in life.
I understood everything very quickly, perhaps sooner than I expected: this was my place. But that moment I thought would never come has arrived: leaving Real Madrid, leaving my home.
It is a decision that does not come from a lack of affection for you, nor from a lack of desire to continue fighting for this jersey, but from the circumstances that have led me to take another path.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the way you have treated me since the very first day. I have always tried to give that affection back by staying as close as possible to you: before, during and after games, through the Foundation, in the city and, above all, on the court, giving everything I had on every single possession to help the team win.
And it was right there that I felt your support the most: in the good moments and in the difficult ones!
Now I continue my journey with the same enthusiasm and ambition with which I arrived. You know me. I hope our paths can cross again one day.
I wish you all the best. I will continue to follow the team closely, forever.
THANK YOU! HALA MADRID AND NOTHING ELSE!
I would also like to thank president Florentino Pérez and everyone who works at the club for these wonderful years.
I also want to thank Alberto Herreros and Rudy Fernández for their professionalism, for the kind words they have always had for me, both privately and publicly, and for the support they have always shown me.
And, in a very special way, Don Juan Carlos Sánchez, for everything he has given me and for the way he handled my contract with me so that I could continue chasing the dream of playing in the NBA. I will be eternally grateful to him.
I wish all people could be this serious, this sincere and this easy to understand. I will always value relationships built on one’s word, respect and trust. These are values that I have always considered fundamental and that I will continue to carry with me wherever I go.”
El Real Madrid no se deja, se lleva para siempre. pic.twitter.com/ITGwkfGYgC
— Mario Hezonja (@mariohezonja) August 6, 2026
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