When Ricardo Vaz Te slotted home THAT 87th minute winner at Wembley to send us back to the Premier League he instantly became a Hammers hero.
The Portuguese forward arrived at the club in January as we continued fighting to get out of the Championship at the first time of asking – and he went on to be one of the most influential players in achieving that goal.
Not only did he score the winning goal in the play-off final, he hit the ground running at the club and scored 12 goals in just 18 appearances that season.
But unfortunately he couldn’t make the step up to the Premier League and regularly struggled for game time.
Now he has left the club by mutual agreement and has signed for a club in Turkey, which is no surprise, but he leaves us with some fantastic memories. It’s not often the fans are truly grateful to a player when he leaves the club, though Vaz Te may just be the exception.
Here are some of the heartfelt messages for Vaz Te on Twitter…
Sad to see Ricardo Vaz Te leave the club. His goal at Wembley still gives me goosebumps. Amazing. #COYI pic.twitter.com/3cvml334Lf
— WestHamWorld.co.uk (@WestHamWorld) January 17, 2015
ill always love Vaz te for getting the winner in play off final but i think he did need to move on.
— Jack Hobson (@HammersHobson) January 16, 2015
I wish Vaz Te the best of luck at his new club, you will always be welcome at West Ham, thanks for the memories ❤️ https://t.co/EtFEL8Pqng
— 父 Darren Reagan 父 (@darren_reagan) January 16, 2015
GOAL ALERT! Blackpool 1 West Ham United 2 (Ricardo Vaz Te 87)
— West Ham United FC (@whufc_official) May 19, 2012
Vaz Te has left. You brought us to the premier league. Thanks for the memories.
— Christian Tan (@ChristianTan3) January 17, 2015
Quite sad to see Vaz Te leave. I'll always love him for this moment. pic.twitter.com/ZpVabsUMjL
— West Ham Photos (@whufcphotos) January 16, 2015
I'll never forget that day in May. When the Man Vaz Te Scored In such a way. Thank you @RicardoVazTe_ for all you brought to the Club.
— Lewis Tucker (@LewisTucker_94) January 17, 2015
I will always be grateful to @RicardoVazTe_ for giving me the best day of my working life: "Vaz Te has put West Ham back where they belong!"
— Rob Pritchard (@RobPritchard78) January 17, 2015
Every part of me wanted Vaz Te to make the step up to the prem. The man have me my best ever experience as a WHU fan. I'll never forget that
— Lee Pardon (@B1gLeeP89) January 17, 2015
Ricardo Vaz Te.. Thanks for helping create a very special memory. Forever grateful. #COYI
— Jake (@JacobLewisP) January 17, 2015
Owe a lot to Vaz Te, never gone that nuts for a goal since
— James Hart (@JamesHart6WHU) January 16, 2015
I remember shaking and being close to tears when he put that in, Vaz Te will always be a legend in my books.
— Harry (@MCjingle) January 16, 2015
Thankyou Vaz Te for one of the best experiences of my life! Always in the hearts of the irons!
— ⚒kieran⚒ (@kieranknight6) January 17, 2015
But one fan clearly has something against West Ham players who have scored winners in play-off finals…
Thank god Vaz Te had left. One of the worst players I've seen at Westham. Nearly as bad as Zamora. #idontcareifyouscoredatwembley
— Mitch Burgess (@mitch_burgess91) January 17, 2015
Ricardo Vaz Te’s West Ham Record
| Season | League Apps | League Goals | Cup Apps | Cup Goals | Yellow Cards | Reds Cards | Total Apps | Total Goals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011/2012 | 16 (2) | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 12 | ||||
| 2012/2013 | 18 (6) | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 3 | ||||
| 2013/2014 | 3 (5) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 | ||||
| 2014/2015 | 3 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Total: | 40 (14) | 17 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 61 | 19 |
