Barry Bannan has paid a heartfelt tribute to former teammate Jose Semedo, who this week announced his retirement from football.
Semedo represented the Owls with honour during a six-year spell at Hillsborough and left the club in 2017 as a true fan favourite.
His commitment to the cause on the pitch and attitude off it endeared the Portuguese midfielder to players, fans and staff alike.
Bannan and Semedo crossed paths at Hillsborough from late 2015 onwards and the Wednesday skipper, penning his notes for this weekend’s match programme for Fleetwood in the Emirates FA Cup, made his own tribute.
“I saw the news break earlier in the week and I just want to thank him for the time he was here, he made me feel at home.
“It was strange from an overseas player, it’s normally the home-based players that tell you about the club but he was the one telling me what Sheffield Wednesday was all about, the fans and everything.
“He obviously took the city and the club to his heart, the same way that I have and a lot of that is down to Semi. I used to sit next to him in the changing room when I first came here and I learned from him.
“I’ve taken that on as captain.”
He continued: “He was a warrior and one of the most hard-working players I have come across in my career.
“Even when he wasn’t playing because when I came here he was more of someone who would come on in games, but his attitude never changed, his commitment to work, he would be first in and last out.
“He was just a great example for people of how you should be in the changing room, playing or not playing.
“He’s retired now and has had a great career and I’d like to see him back at Hillsborough one day to get the send-off he deserves.”
Read the captain’s column in full on Saturday in our matchday programme, ‘Wednesday’.