I left home when I was 14, it has been almost 20 years, and I was presented with the opportunity to play in front of my family, which I have never done. Until this opportunity arose, I never thought I would leave New York City, I love it here and have had the best years of my life here. When I first signed, I made a promise to only leave the Club after helping bring a championship to this great City and its passionate fans and believe I have delivered on that promise. I arrived as a young kid, having the opportunity to play with legends of the game like David Villa, Andrea Pirlo, Frank Lampard, it was like a dream for me.
The MLS Cup championship was like a Hollywood movie, winning the cup with that special group of players, after playing together for such a long time, is something I will always remember. I am proud to say I am leaving this Club and this City as a man. I want you to know that my heart is blue, I have given my all to this Club every single day.
I want to thank David Lee for supporting me and making me a part of his family, also to City Football Group, all my teammates throughout the years and the coaches I have been fortunate to play for. I wish this Club all the best the remainder of this season and in the future, I will be watching every game and cheering you on from afar. Playing every single minute of the playoff championship run including a standout performance in MLS Cup final in Portland.
He has been with NYCFC during his prime and has given the best years of his career to this organization. While we would have preferred to wait until the end of the season, we felt it was right to accept the wishes of a player that has given us such great service over the years.
Everyone at New York would like to thank Maxime for everything he has given to this Club and this City, we wish him and his family all the best moving forward.
