Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has admitted that telling Eric Abidal that he would not be offered a new contract was a "tough" conversation.

Abidal announced yesterday that he was leaving the club at the end of his contract, and Rosell said that the player would always be held in high regard by Barcelona.

"It was tough telling him because of the high esteem we have for Abidal," Marca quotes Rosell as saying. "It would have been a lot easier to say yes, and when you are truly fond of him, as I am, it's three times more difficult.

"For now we haven't taken the decision to take away shirts from players. The best tribute we can do for the player is to see his number out on the pitch. We haven't thought about it, yet. All decisions taken will be taken together. They are club decisions.

"Abidal has given us a lesson in life that we will never forget. He will always be a part of our history. We have shared some fantastic moments with him, of glory and titles, but our relationship goes beyond just a president – player one. This is not a goodbye, but rather an 'until we meet again'."

Abidal has been at Barca since 2007, when he joined from Lyon.