Augusto Fernandez believes he ‘gave everything’ to the club and has no regrets following his €4.5m move to Chinese Super League club Beijing Reihe.
The 31-year-old joined Los Rojiblancos from Celta Vigo in January 2016 but a cruciate ligament injury eight months later has curtailed his career.
“The Champions League matches (against Barcelona and Bayern Munich in 2016) were incredible to play in,” the midfielder recounter in an interview with Marca.
“My stay at Atleti will stay with me through my entire career, not just those big matches but in training and in day-to-day life, it was fantastic.
“I leave the club as being happy, with no doubts, because I have the respect of the fans, my old teammates and the club.
“The time had come for me to leave with a new horizon coming, and it is a shame that the time was right but it definitely was in my view.
“It is impossible to return at a club like Atleti following serious injuries and taking time over fitness, besides the economic offer was very important too of course.”
