Football legend Lionel Messi has offered his take on the circumstances of his fellow FC Barcelona striker Luis Suarez's departure from the club, sharing his thoughts on the subject via Instagram.
In his post, Messi mused about how strange its going to be to see Suarez "in another shirt" and even stranger to face him on the pitch, and how the former did not deserve the manner in which Barca parts ways with him.
"You deserved a farewell befitting who you are: one of the most important players in the history of the club, achieving great things for the team and on an individual level," the Argentinian football ace wrote. "You did not deserve for them to throw you out like they did. But the truth is that at this stage nothing surprises me any more."
As The Guardian points out, Messi has "stepped up" his criticism of Barcelona in the last year, despite being known for his "mild manner away from the pitch".
Earlier, Barca confirmed Suarez's impending transfer to Athletico Madrid who is expected to pay 6 million euros for the move.
Some media reports suggested that the footballer helped facilitate a "speedy resolution" of his transfer deal by threatening to disclose a private email from Barcelona which named "the clubs he could not move to for free", with said list apparently did not including the Athletico.