Lionel Messi has paid tribute to former Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta, who has confirmed his retirement from professional football.

Iniesta bows out of the game at the age of 40 having spent five years in Japan with Vissel Kobe before playing one final season in the United Arab Emirates with Emirates Club.

The Spaniard scored the deciding goal to win his nation the 2010 World Cup and is synonymous with Barca, having appeared in 674 games for La Blaugrana before departing in 2018.

He had many iconic colleagues at Camp Nou but arguably none more so than Messi. The pair played in 488 official matches together and won countless trophies in Catalonia, including four Champions Leagues and nine La Liga titles.

Taking to social media, Messi showered the former midfielder with praise, describing him as one of his favourite players to ever share the pitch with.

He wrote: “One of the teammates with the most magic and the one I enjoy playing together the most. Andres, the ball is going to miss you and so are all of us. I wish you the best always, you are a phenomenon.”

While Barca unsurprisingly gushed over Iniesta following the announcement of his retirement, he was also praised by the Catalan giants’ Clasico rivals Real Madrid, who posted their own tribute to the two-time European Championship winner.

It reads: “Following Andres Iniesta’s announcement that he is retiring from professional football, Real Madrid, its President and its Board of Directors would like to express their recognition, admiration and affection for one of the biggest legends of Spanish and world football.

“Andres Iniesta has enriched the sport through his football and his values, in addition to the numerous trophies he has won during his career. His iconic goal in the 2010 World Cup Final in South Africa will forever remain in the memory of every Spanish fan.

“Real Madrid would like to wish him and his family the best of luck in this new chapter of his life.”

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