MESSI BIDS EMOTIONAL FAREWELL

BARCELONA: Lionel Messi bid farewell to Neymar on Instagram on Wednesday after the Brazilian striker told him and other Barcelona teammates he was leaving, saying it was a “huge pleasure” to have played with him. “It was a huge pleasure having shared all those years with you, my friend @neymarjr,” Messi wrote on Instagram next to a montage of pictures of both football stars high-fiving, embracing or laughing. “I wish you lots of luck in this new stage in your life. See you soon tkm,” he added. “Tkm” stands for “te quiero mucho” (I love you loads).“Speculation over Neymar’s future has dominated the first few weeks of new Barca boss Ernesto Valverde’s reign. Neymar has formed one of the deadliest strike partnerships in football history with Messi and Luis Suarez over the past three seasons. Together they have won two La Liga titles, a Champions League and three Spanish Cups, whilst Neymar has scored 105 goals and provided 80 assists in just 186 games.