Ofir Marciano admits his final season as a Hibs player has been his most enjoyable.
The Israeli ‘keeper made his final league appearance for the Hibees in yesterday’s 0-0 Scottish Premiership draw with Celtic.
Marciano will leave Easter Road for a new challenge when his contract expires in the summer.
It is likely to be his last game for the club despite next week’s cup final, with Matt Macey having played in all the cup fixtures until this point.
But the 31-year-old still rates this campaign as his best in green and white.
He said: “I feel proud because this is a massive club. When I was a little boy I dreamt of playing for clubs like this and in stadiums like this, so for me it is a dream come true. I appreciate every moment that I had in this club and I’m happy that we managed to finish with a clean sheet against Celtic.
“This year in particular has been very good. I enjoyed coming to my job every day, to the training centre, working with the staff and the players and you can see the rewards. We finished in a position that we haven’t finished in for a while and we have a good chance to win the cup.
“So for me, it’s the best season that I’ve ever had here and I’m happy.”
Marciano hailed the progress Hibs have made since he arrived five years ago.
He told Hibs TV: “You have to remember, I came here when the club was in the second division and we managed to get up. Finally after five years we managed to get the club to Europe and finish third which is amazing progress on an amazing journey. I’m happy to have been part of it.
“If I take something bad, it’s that my family couldn’t be here with us. Not just mine but all our amazing fans as well. That’s the only negative thing I can say about this season. I wish we could have more of this love because that could be amazing. But even when the stadium is empty, we can still feel our fans and the love that we get from them.
“You don’t get that at every club so we need to appreciate that.
“We’re always going to be Hibs fans and we’ll never forget our time here. You never know what’s going to happen in the future.”
