Lucas Digne has taken to social media to send a touching message to former teammate Lionel Messi after his Barcelona exit was confirmed.
The Catalan club announced on Thursday that they had been able to effect an agreement they had with the 34-year-old that would have allowed him to stay at the Nou Camp.
Barca claimed that because of the restrictions of La Liga's salary cap, they were unable to retain Messi and were letting him go, putting clubs across the world on alert.
Messi has been a free agent since July 1 after failing to agree on a new deal before his previous contract expired on June 30.
Digne joined Everton in the summer of 2018 from Barcelona having spent two years at the Nou Camp, where he played alongside Messi.
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And taking to Instagram on Friday night, the Frenchman spoke of his pride at being able to play alongside the Argentine for the Catalan heavyweights.
He wrote: “I have been lucky enough to play by your side, it was just a dream and it was a pleasure to play with this shirt by your side. I wish you the best in your new stage.”
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Barca president Joan Laporta said on Messi’s exit : "An investment of that volume with the contract of Messi was risky.
“We wanted to assume those risks, all of us on the board of directors, but when we have realised what the real situation at the club is after the audit, it meant that we would have put the club in great risk.
"The salary mass has a great deal to do with that - there is no margin after a calamitous situation that was all down to the previous board of administrators.
"If we terminate current contracts that also has its risks and the only to have that salary margin right now was to accept that operation that we don't think is interesting for Barca. We can go into details but it is an operation that puts at risk the club for the next 50 years.
"We understand that and I want to end this introduction by saying that Leo wanted to stay at Barca and we wanted him to stay.
“The fact that he wanted to stay was the first step that was made. That was a key factor; he wanted to stay."
