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Brazilian football star Neymar has sent an emotional farewell message to his close friend and former teammate Lionel Messi ahead of the Argentine great’s final international appearance.
Neymar paid tribute to Messi on social media, saying football lovers around the world had enjoyed watching him throughout his remarkable career.
He wished Messi happiness as he prepared to bid farewell to the Argentina shirt.
“Today is your final game wearing the shirt of your national team, your country, and I hope you enjoy every second of it and that all the tributes today make you happy,” Neymar wrote.
He added that Messi’s influence extended far beyond Argentina.
“It’s not only Argentina that thanks you, the whole world thanks you for everything you’ve done for football,” Neymar said.
Neymar also reflected on their relationship, saying Messi had made him love football even more and that it had been an honour to play against him and, even more importantly, to make history alongside him.
The two stars were teammates at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, while their friendship grew despite representing South American rivals Brazil and Argentina.
At Barcelona, Neymar, Messi and Luis Suárez formed the famous attacking trio known as MSN.
Messi’s farewell match against Benin in Buenos Aires marked the end of his international career after 208 appearances for Argentina.
He leaves the national team as its record scorer with 125 goals and having won the 2022 World Cup and two Copa América titles.
