As Andrés Iniesta’s retirement was officially announced this Tuesday, October 8th, in Barcelona, Neymar took a moment to pay tribute to his former teammate.

"I never thought this day would come, but all these tears over the past few days are tears of emotion, of pride. They are not tears of sadness. They are the tears of that boy from Fuentealbilla who dreamed of becoming a footballer. (...) I feel very proud of this journey. I feel very happy to have achieved the prize, the dream, of being a footballer."

An era comes to an end for Andrés Iniesta. During a major press conference held in Barcelona on Tuesday, October 8th, in reference to his jersey number, the midfielder announced his farewell at the age of 40, following his final experience with Emirates Club.

Since the announcement of the 2010 World Cup champion’s retirement, various personalities, clubs, and football observers rushed to pay tribute to a player—no, an artist—who was unanimously admired both on and off the pitch. Neymar, a former teammate of Andrés Iniesta at FC Barcelona from 2013 to 2017, joined this long list of admirers by posting a brief but touching message on his social media.

"It was a pleasure to play with you"
"The best midfielder with whom I was able to share incredible moments... It was a pleasure to play with you, we had so many joyful days. My friend, I wish you the best in what’s to come, legend". commented the former Paris Saint-Germain player, who accompanied these words with a photograph of the two players wearing the blaugrana shirt.

Undoubtedly, having already received early praise from Lionel Messi and Real Madrid, the iconic FC Barcelona midfielder will surely receive this new message with the same appreciation.