Fort Myers, Fla. ? A Boston Red Sox fan all his life, Dan Duquette knows what it’s like to have his heart broken by the team.

Choking back tears as he said goodbye to his dream job, the former Red Sox general manager said he would be back at Fenway Park cheering on the team he ran for eight years before being fired Thursday.

“I’m most disappointed that I will not have the opportunity to realize the goal Red Sox fans and I have shared for too long: a World Series championship,” he said. “No one loves the Red Sox more than I do. No one is more dedicated to the success of this organization.”

Showing an emotional side absent from his tenure as GM, Duquette took a long pause to calm a quivering lip before thanking those in the organization who supported him. But those supporters did not include the team’s new owners, who fired him less than 24 hours after closing their $660 million deal to buy the team, its stadium and its television network. Former California Angels GM and Duquette assistant Mike Port will be the interim general manager.

“This decision was not an easy one to make, and we have nothing but good personal feelings for Dan,” said team president Larry Lucchino, who met with Duquette at his hotel on Thursday morning along with new owners John Henry and Tom Werner.