Lia Walti on her "beautiful memories"

Lia Walti has brought to an end her seven-year association with Arsenal.

She sat down at the Sobha Realty Training Centre to explain what the club has meant to her, and you can press play on the video above to watch her message in full or read the transcript below:

Hi Arsenal family, this is going to be really hard. This is, without any doubt, one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to take in my life to leave this football club.

Arsenal is so much more than just a football club for me. It became my home, my second family, my safe place, a place I always wanted to return to and all I have in my heart right now are just beautiful memories I will always keep with me. I think the most important thing for me are the friendships and relationships I've created with the people because that means so much more than just playing football.

When I came here seven years ago, it was incredible. I came from a place which was really small compared to London and Arsenal, and all I knew was that I had the right feeling in my stomach with the people I spoke to at the club. It was a very easy choice to come here and looking back now to seven years ago, it's making me really really proud.

I'm really thankful for all the memories. It's something as a kid you dream about, to play in big stadiums, to feel valued, not just from a football club but also from all the people around, and that was something I could experience here with the team, and something I never expected in 2018 to happen, so I'm only looking back with a smile.

I love Borehamwood, I think it's an incredible atmosphere there. It was so intense and it carried us through so many games which played a big part in the history of Arsenal. For me, it was the first steps here at Arsenal in Borehamwood and probably also one of the nicest memories.

Whenever you speak with the girls who have been part of the Wolfsburg game, we all have this special game in mind. I think it was the first sold-out game played in Emirates Stadium in front of 60,000 fans. It's something we dreamed about when we were kids. The feelings we've had there, I have goosebumps now when I speak about it.

I always believed that we are capable of winning the Champions League. I don't know what it is, sometimes in football you have a feeling and the feelings afterwards, it's something you can't describe. You let everything fall, all the pressure comes off and all the hard work we've put in as a team in the last couple of years and you just enjoy the moment.

One of my biggest dreams was always to win the Champions League. My biggest dream was to win it with Arsenal and it finally happened. Now, it was my last game at Arsenal so I think it couldn't end any better.

Seven years is a really long time and there are not just good moments, they are always also tough moments. We all go away from our families and we build some really close relationships with people here and these are the people who help you go through moments which are tough. For me, as a person, I grew a lot.

I'm just really thankful because I think I made relationships for life and I will definitely be back here because there are a lot of people I still want to see, but Arsenal always allowed me to be the person I am. I'm really sad to leave but it means it has been a place where I was really, really happy. It's important that you leave your heart on the pitch and that's what I tried every time I stepped on that pitch with that shirt.

It's funny when you create your home, your new family and your safe place, then you can't obviously picture yourself somewhere else and I think that was really hard right now. Thank you to the fans, you made us feel unstoppable and thanks to everybody who supported me on that journey and thanks for everything, Arsenal.

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