Lionel Messi's teammates past and present, including his former captain, have publicly backed his decision to leave Barcelona
- Carles Puyol and Luis Suarez have both publicly backed Lionel Messi's decision to leave FC Barcelona.
- "Respect and admiration, Leo. All my support, friend," tweeted Puyol, who played alongside Messi at the Camp Nou for a decade.
- Suarez, who has reportedly been told he can leave Barcelona this summer, replied to Puyol's tweet with two hand-clapping emojis.
- Messi told Barcelona of his intention to leave the club on Tuesday, less than two weeks after it suffered an 8-2 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Carles Puyol and Luis Suarez have both publicly backed Lionel Messi's decision to leave FC Barcelona.
Messi, 33, told Barcelona of his intention to move on from the club on Tuesday, less than two weeks after it suffered a humiliating 8-2 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals.
"Respect and admiration, Leo. All my support, friend," tweeted Puyol, who played alongside Messi at the Camp Nou for a decade between 2004 and 2014.
Suarez, who, according to The Independent, has been told he is now surplus to requirements by Barcelona's new manager Ronald Koeman, replied to Puyol's tweet with two hand-clapping emojis.
Messi has spent his entire professional career with Barcelona. Since emerging from the club's youth ranks in late 2003, the Argentine has scored 645 times, and won ten league titles, four Champions Leagues, and six Ballons d'Or.
His proposed departure his likely to incite a legal battle between his representatives and the club, with Messi's camp believing a clause in his contract will allow him to leave the club for free.
Barcelona believe that the clause expired in June, meaning interested parties would be forced to pay closer to his buy-out clause of $825 million.
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