Lionel Messi has paid tribute to former team-mate Andres Iniesta after the Spain and Barcelona legend edged closer to his retirement.
Aged 40, the midfielder shared an emotional video on social media on Monday evening which is expected to lead to confirmation that he will be permanently hanging up his boots having been without a club since leaving UAE side Emirates Club in the summer.
In the video, the likes of Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique and Louis van Gaal all spoke on Iniesta, who shared the caption ‘the game continues’ with Tuesday’s date also linked.
Most famous for playing for Barca, he also won the World Cup – scoring in the final – two European Championships, four Champions Leagues, nine LaLiga titles and a plethora of other trophies throughout his career.
As he appeared set to call time on his playing career, there was perhaps no higher profile name to pay tribute than Messi – who took to Instagram to congratulate Iniesta on his career – to reference the move.
Lionel Messi has paid an emotional tribute to Andres Insiesta as his retirement edges closer
The duo played nearly 500 games together for Barcelona during a golden era for the club
Iniesta won a total of 32 trophies with the club in 16 years, the second most behind Messi
‘One of the team-mates with the most magic and one of the ones I enjoyed playing with the most,’ Messi posted, alongside a picture of himself and Iniesta from their Barcelona days.
‘Andres Iniesta, the ball will miss you, and so will all of us. I wish you the best always; you are a phenomenon.’
Messi and Iniesta played together 489 times for Barcelona, with the former departing in 2021 and the latter in 2018.
In total, the Spaniard played a total of 674 matches for the club, netting 57 goals and logging a further 135 assists in that time.
He is fourth in the all-time appearance list for the club, behind Messi (778), Xavi (767) and Sergio Busquets (719).
The 40-year-old has been teasing the announcement on social media for over a week, with it expected he will officially announce his retirement on October 8 due to his association with the No 8 shirt number.
Iniesta’s professional debut dates back to 2002 after he came through Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy.
He went on to spend an incredible 16 years in the Catalan side’s first team, winning 32 trophies with Barca, the second highest in the club’s history behind Messi, who lifted 35.
Iniesta also enjoyed plenty of success with Spain having played 131 times for the national side with 13 goals to his name.
Iniesta joined Japanese side Vissel Kobe after leaving Barcelona in 2018, playing there for five years
After leaving Barcelona in 2018, Iniesta joined Japanese side Vissel Kobe and won a league title and two cups over five years.
He spent last season in the UAE and scored five times in 23 appearances.
