Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic has joined Russian Premier League side Zenit St Petersburg for an undisclosed fee on a two-and-a-half year deal.
Serb Ivanovic, 32, joined the Blues in January 2008 from Lokomotiv Moscow and played 377 times for the club.
He won the Champions League, Premier League twice, FA Cup three times and League Cup, and scored the winning goal in the 2013 Europa League final.
However, he had only started six Premier League games this season.
Ivanovic, who was set to be out of contract at the end of the season, scored for the club in his final appearance, Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup win over Brentford.
Chelsea captain John Terry paid tribute to his team-mate, describing Ivanovic as a “legend” in an Instagram post.
“Unbelievable defender for us over the years and a great and big character and presence in the dressing room,” Terry wrote.
Even though the English transfer window closed on Tuesday, Premier League clubs can sell to teams in countries whose window remains open, such as Russia.
