TITO VILANOVA thanked Barcelona, its players and fans for “five wonderful years” the day after the club announced he was stepping down to fight his recurring throat cancer.

    Vilanova wrote in an open letter on Barcelona’s website Saturday that “the moment has arrived to face a change in my professional life and dedicate my energies and efforts to following a treatment for an illness doctors diagnosed a year and a half ago.”

    Vilanova had previously twice been obliged to take a medical leave after consecutive surgeries to remove tumors from a saliva gland.

    Barcelona said it will name his successor this week with the Spanish league season set to start Aug. 17.

    Vilanova, who replaced Pep Guardiola as coach last summer, suffered a relapse last year and underwent a second operation in December before beginning a course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in New York, which saw him miss a number of matches in the second half of the 2012-13 season.

    The 44-year-old returned to the bench to lead Barcelona to the Primera Division title — becoming only the second team in La Liga history after Real Madrid to reach 100 points in the process — but it has now been confirmed he will not be returning for a second season in charge of the Catalan giants as he continues his fight against the illness.

    Famous names from the world of sport were keen to wish Vilanova the best in his battle following the announcement, including Barca superstar Messi. He wrote on his Facebook page: “Strength Tito! We are all with you in this fight!”

    The Argentinian’s club-mate Andres Iniesta added in AS: “Tito will once again win this terrible battle facing him. On behalf of the players and everyone, I send him all my love and support. At the end of the day, this is about a person, not a coach.”

    Midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who this week left Barcelona to join former coach Guardiola at Bayern Munich, added on his Twitter account: “All the encouragement in the world for Tito and his family. We are all with you!!”

    Rival clubs both in Spain and abroad also came out in support of Vilanova, including Real Madrid, which released a statement on its website that read: “Real Madrid CF want to express their support for and solidarity with Tito Vilanova and also to his family, friends and FC Barcelona.”

    Barca is set to name Vilanova’s successor this week, with the likes of Marcelo Bielsa, Gerardo Martino, Andre Villas-Boas, Michael Laudrup, Luis Enrique and Rubi, who recently joined the Catalan club’s coaching staff, being linked with the post in the Spanish media. (SD-Agencies)