Ignazio Abate is sorry to be leaving AC Milan.

The 32-year-old fullback admits he had hoped to end his career with the Rossonero.

“If I think back to the first time I wore these colours, I still get emotional…" wrote Abate on Instagram.

“I was just a kid then and thanks to this club, I have become a man. Milan is not just a team, Milan is a style of life and you perceive that only when you experience it for yourself… class, history, tradition, elegance.

“There were champions at Milan that I fantasised about when I was a child, there were trophies that shone in the history of football, there was a world that I could see from the outside and dreamed to be a part of!

“Life gave me 10 unforgettable years in the Rossoneri shirt. Today I look back and can't help but consider myself fortunate to have grown up with some real champions from whom I learned discipline, tenacity, the responsibility of wearing such a prestigious jersey.

“Everyone knows it would've been my dream to end my career with Milan, but at times dreams come true and at others they remain just locked inside your heart."