ANDRES INIESTA admitted ‘it will hurt’ to see Lionel Messi ‘in another team’s shirt’ after the Barcelona legend completed his move to PSG.
Messi confirmed his free transfer to the French giants, officially ending his 20-year stay with boyhood club Barca.
Iniesta spent 14 of those with the Argentine, with the pair winning nine LaLiga titles and four Champions League trophies together.
But Messi’s time at the Nou Camp has now come to an end after LaLiga’s financial fair play rules left the player unable to renew his contract.
And with the six-time Ballon d’Or winner now announced as a PSG player, it has left former team-mate Iniesta, 37, heartbroken.
He told AFP: “I don’t know what happened internally, nor how things unfolded, but the club will need to recover from this transfer.
“It will hurt to see him in another team’s shirt. Leo personifies Barcelona. He was everything, he’s a player who transcends the team.
“I’ve never seen a player like him and I don’t think I ever will.
“[Barcelona] will continue to be one of the best teams, one of those that has to be on the summit.”
Messi, 34, has signed a two-year deal PSG with the option to extend it for a further 12 months.
He was pictured in his new colours for the first time and will wear the No30 shirt – his first number at Barca.
DREAM TEAM IS BACK! SIGN UP NOW FOR THE 21/22 SEASON WITH £100,000 PRIZE POT UP FOR GRABS
Messi said: “I am impatient to start a new chapter of my career in Paris. The club and its vision are in perfect harmony with my ambitions.
“I know how talented the players and staff are here. I am determined to build, alongside them, something great for the club and for the fans.
“I can’t wait to set foot on the Parc des Princes pitch.”
