After a year in captivity with limited contact to the outside world, former Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes appears to have been released from whatever dungeon Manchester United have kept him in.

Valdes posted a message on his Instagram account thanking his fans for supporting him through this dark period of his life. The 34-year-old goalkeeper was first lured to the club with the promise of a chance to rehab his injured knee. He was then signed to a contract and dumped into their U-21 squad. He was able to escape to the first team twice, but was caught and banished back to his cell both times.

Last July, Valdes went on the football version of a hunger strike by refusing to play in a reserve match. As punishment, he wasn’t given a squad number, effectively making him disappear, despite being named to Man United’s Premier League squad presumably so no one would ask questions as to his whereabouts. He was also not invited to the club’s UNICEF charity dinner in November, proving the extreme lengths to his inhume treatment.

Valdes is now expected to join Belgian club Standard Liege, where he will attempt to reacclimate himself to footballing society.