"I wish you the best" - Lionel Messi sends message to former teammate Sergi Roberto as he leaves Barcelona
Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has wished his outgoing former teammate Sergi Roberto as he prepares to leave the Camp Nou. The 32-year-old has played his entire career at the Camp Nou after coming through the ranks.
In 372 outings across competitions, Roberto contributed 19 goals and 43 assists. In what turned out to be his last season at the club in 2023-24, the Spaniard registered three goals and as many assists in 24 games, starting 15, as he slipped down the pecking order.
Meanwhile, Messi - now at Inter Miami - is a bonafide Barcelona legend, spending the last 11 of his 17-season stint at the Camp Nou with Roberto - who made his first-team bow in the 2010-11 campaign under Pep Guardiola.
After Sergi Roberto announced his exit from the club on Sunday (August 11), Messi sent a warm message to his former Barca teammate, posting on Instagram stories (as translated from Spanish):
"All the luck for your new endeavour! I wish you the best"
Messi ended his legendary Camp Nou career with a slew of records. Among others, he's their most capped player (778 games), record goalscorer (672 goals) - most by any player for a single club - and assist-provider (303 assists).
He's also the only player to win eight Pichichi trophies (La Liga top scorer), score most goals in a La Liga season (50 in 2011-12) and is the most capped Barcelona player with 35 trophies.
How Sergi Roberto fared together with Lionel Messi at Barcelona
Lionel Messi spent an illustrious near two-decade long stint at Barcelona, between 2004 and 2021, when he left on a free transfer to join PSG. There, he played for two seasons before joining his current club Inter Miami in MLS last summer.
Coming back to his Barca stint, 245 of his 672 games for Barce came with Sergi Roberto on the pitch at the same time. In four joint goal contributions, each player scored twice apiece.
Since leaving the Camp Nou three years ago, Messi has had great success, especially with Argentina, winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2024 Copa America last month. The latter triumph made La Albiceleste the first team to win 16 titles in the competition and Messi the first player to win 45 titles for club and country.
Messi is currently out injured, though, suffering an ankle injury in the 1-0 extra-time final win over Colombia in the Copa final in Miami last month.