Not long after news broke that 2019 CPL Player of the Year Tristan Borges has been sold to Belgian club Oud-Heverlee Leuven, Forge FC fans went into a frenzy online, learning of the star’s historic move overseas.
Borges, of course, won’t be leaving without saying goodbye to his first professional club; in a video posted by Forge, the 22-year-old — who had his first training session with OH Leuven on Wednesday morning — bid farewell to the Hamilton fans with a message from Belgium:
🎥: "I just want to say thank you for everything. You guys know how much you all mean to me."#ForgeFC | #CanPL pic.twitter.com/5WpEuXGtjK
— Forge FC (@ForgeFCHamilton) January 22, 2020
“I just want to say thank you for all the support you’ve given me, you’ve given the team,” Borges said.
He added: “I know the future’s bright for everybody, and I know the future’s definitely bright for Forge next year.”
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Borges finished by thanking his Forge teammates and coaching staff, as well as giving a vote of confidence to other young Canadians in the CPL.
“The CPL was meant for players to showcase what they can do, and hopefully have a bright future; I’m trying to pursue that.”
Simultaneously, Borges introduced himself to the fans of his new club, vowing to help them finish the season off strong:
Tristan Borges heeft meteen een boodschap voor alle OHL-supporters👏👇#samensterker pic.twitter.com/taPbrNCeMy
— Oud-Heverlee Leuven (@OHLeuven) January 22, 2020