The Catalans announced this week that Messi, 34, would not be continuing at Camp Nou due to La Liga salary restrictions which make renewing his contract impossible.
Fabregas will always remember the day when Messi came to the dressing room at 13 years old
Cesc Fabregas shared the touching – and somewhat embarrassing – story of his first encounter with Lionel Messi as he paid tribute to the soon-to-be ex-Barcelona idol. The Catalans announced this week that Messi, 34, would not be continuing at Camp Nou due to La Liga salary restrictions which make renewing his contract impossible. And Fabregas, who came up with the Argentine at La Masia, took the opportunity to say farewell to his former teammate, who has written himself into club history over the past decade. “I will always remember the day you came to the dressing room at 13 years old, and we were told an Argentine kid had come to try out,” Cesc wrote in a series of messages published on his Twitter account.
Cesc always knew Messi were something special
“You sat down and never said a word. The coach told me to go in strong in a one-on-one exercise against you; you looked so small that I thought I’d take the ball off you in a second.” However, the ex-Barca, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spain star was quickly proved wrong, becoming one of the first in a long line of markers in Europe to suffer Messi’s outrageous abilities on the ball. “Silly me, you left me on the floor, and from there, I knew you were something special,” he continued. “My dream had always been to play in the Barca first team, but to do that with you and with Geri Gerard Pique, that always made that dream a lot more unique.
“In the end, it came true and just for the fact that I felt like I did playing at false nine alongside you and seeing the connection we had, that made it all worth it. You leave as the best player of all time. Barca will never be the same without you. Thank you for everything you have given and everything that you are, because behind that competitive animal, there is a spectacular, humble, kind and generous person. I wish you, Anto, Thiagui, Matu and Ciro all the best. I am sure you will be happy wherever you go. I love you.”