Curtis Jones bids farewell to Liverpool after 16 years
Sixteen years after walking through the doors at Melwood as a boy with a dream, Jones has closed the Liverpool chapter of his life and signed for Inter Milan in a £30 million move, as reported by Sky Sports.
The fee underlines how highly he is still valued. The emotion in his farewell underlines what he is leaving behind.
“I came here as a kid… I’m leaving as a man”
Jones chose Instagram to say goodbye, and his message read like a letter to a city that raised him.
“After 16 years, it’s time to say goodbye,” he wrote. “I came here as a kid with a dream of playing for Liverpool, and I’ve been lucky enough to actually live that dream. This club is all I’ve ever known. I came here as a kid and I’m leaving as a man with a family of my own, which probably puts into perspective just how much of my life I’ve spent here.”
Those years were packed. Jones made 228 senior appearances, scored 22 goals and collected six major trophies, including two Premier League titles. For a local lad, that is not just a career. It is a life.
He made it clear Liverpool had shaped both sides of that life – the professional and the personal.
“So much has happened during my time here, both on and off the pitch,” he continued. “I’ve made my debut, won trophies, made memories I’ll never forget, and I’ve become a dad. Having my daughter while I’ve been here makes it even more special, because Liverpool isn’t just part of my story anymore, it’s part of my family’s story too.”
A goodbye rooted in the academy
Jones’ message kept circling back to where it all began: the academy staff who watched him grow from a teenager into a first-team regular.
“I want to thank everyone in the academy who believed in me and helped me get to where I am today,” he said. “There are people here who have known me since I was a kid and literally watched me grow up.”
The list of thanks did not stop there. It rarely does for players who have lived so long inside one club.
Despite a frustrating final 12 months under former manager Arne Slot, Jones stressed his gratitude to those who shaped him.
“Thank you to every manager and coach I’ve worked with for trusting me, giving me opportunities, and always pushing me to become better,” he wrote. Then he pulled back the curtain on the everyday faces that keep a club of Liverpool’s size moving.
“A massive thank you to everyone behind the scenes – the physios, medical team, kit staff, chefs, analysts, security, media team, grounds staff, and everyone else who makes this place what it is.”
Dressing-room bonds and an unbroken tie to the fans
From there, his farewell turned to the players who shared the dressing room and the supporters who filled the stands.
“To all the lads I’ve shared a dressing room with over the years, thank you. I’ve played with some unbelievable players and made friendships that I know I’ll have for life.”
Then came the line every departing player knows will be judged most sharply – the message to the Kop.
“Thank you to the fans that stuck by me and always supported me. I will always be one of you.”
The pressure of the last year, the competition for places, the change of manager – none of it drowned out that bond. If anything, it sharpened the emotion of his exit.
A new chapter in Milan
Now comes the leap. A new league, a new language, a new expectation at Inter Milan. Jones did not shy away from that, he embraced it.
“Now it’s time for a new challenge and a new chapter for me and my family, and I’m excited for what’s ahead,” he said.
But even as he looked forward, he nailed down what Liverpool will always mean to him.
“Liverpool will always be a massive part of me. I came here as a kid with a dream, and I’m leaving having lived it. So genuinely, to everyone who has played any part in my 16 years here, thank you. I’ll never forget it. YNWA.”
The shirt changes. The colours change. The song he quoted at the end does not.
