Medhi Benatia Discusses Juventus Exit After Al-Duhail Transfer

Medhi Benatia has asked people to respect his decision to leave Juventus for Qatari side Al-Duhail while bidding farewell to the Bianconeri.

As reported by Football Italia, the Morocco international took to Instagram to write a goodbye message to express his gratitude for his time with the club, even mentioning he thought he would retire at Juventus:

"Hello everybody. After two very busy days, I wanted to take this opportunity to say goodbye to this great family at Juventus, the players, fans, staff, coaches, physios, kit-men… and the rest of the Juve family, which I will miss for sure.

"I leave behind a lot of friends who I hope to see again soon. You've all been the centre of my life for two-and-a-half years.

"We lived a lot of things together and achieved great success. In July I was certain I'd have finished my career with you all, but unfortunately life has some surprises in store for you so I had to change my plans, but always with the desire to win, while looking to also make a decision for my family.

"Thanks for the love. I understand someone don't want to accept my choice, so I only ask you to respect it.

"Forza Juve, try to win everything with this wonderful group."

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The 31-year-old completed a transfer to Qatar on Tuesday, bringing an end to a productive spell in Turin.

His exit didn't come as a complete surprise, and Juventus had planned for it, with fan favourite Martin Caceres undertaking a medical before Benatia's transfer had become official:

Caceres―who has enjoyed two stints with the club already―will take his spot in the squad as a depth option.

Benatia joined Juve from Bayern Munich and flourished in his return to Italy. He had previously been regarded as one of the most underrated defenders in the world while at AS Roma, but injuries and a lack of consistency plagued him during his time at the Allianz Arena.

The 2017-18 season was Benatia's best, as he beat out Andrea Barzagli and Daniele Rugani to log the most starts next to Giorgio Chiellini in Serie A. He lost his spot as a regular starter this season, however, due to the return of Leonardo Bonucci.

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Rugani also passed him in the pecking order, becoming the main backup at the position, and that prompted the player to hint at a January exit as early as November in an interview with La Stampa (h/t Football Italia).

But in the first contest after giving that interview, he gave a way a silly penalty against AC Milan. Manager Massimiliano Allegri seemed to lose what faith he had left in the defender as a result.

While his exit wasn't a surprise, the destination was. Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe was confused:

Benatia is still a top-level defender who likely could have been an impact player for all but a handful of Europe's top clubs. The likes of Arsenal and Manchester United have had their fair share of defensive struggles, and it's curious they seemingly didn't try to bring him in.

He appeared to have his mind set on Qatar, however, where he'll likely be handsomely rewarded for his services.