Barca's fond Deco farewell

Barcelona sporting director Txiki Begiristain has reserved special praise for Portugal international midfielder Deco, after he completed his move away from the Nou Camp to Chelsea.

"His performances for us were extraordinary, particularly in his first two seasons here."

"We believe that he had nothing more to prove here and that it was best if he looked for new challenges," Laporta said. "We did not want to cause any problems for him at this stage of his career."