"It didn't turn out as we thought but we tried everything" - Neymar Jr sends parting message to Lionel Messi as he leaves PSG

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Neymar Jr. has sent a heartfelt message to outgoing Lionel Messi. He expressed his pleasure at having had the chance to pair up with the Argentine for two more years.

Messi played his last game for the Parisians on Saturday (June 3). He is set to leave the club as a free agent with his contract set to expire at the end of the month. The 35-year-old's was made official hours before their game yesterday when PSG announced the news across their social media platforms.

Tributes poured in from all quarters for the departing forward. Now, one of Messi's dearest friends and former Barcelona teammate, Neymar, has also penned a heartfelt note for him.

He wrote on Twitter:

"Brother... it didn't turn out as we thought but we tried everything. It was a pleasure to share 2 more years with you. Good luck in your new stage and be happy. I love you [heart emoji] #leomessi"

Messi and Neymar's friendship goes back to their Barcelona days when the South American stars first paired up in 2013 following the Brazilian's transfer from Santos.

Over the next four years, the duo, along with Luis Suarez, forged one of the deadliest attacking partnerships in history. Messi and Neymar played 161 games together for Barcelona, making 56 joint goal contributions. They guided the Spanish to numerous titles, including a treble in 2015.

At PSG, though, their magic didn't work out, with Neymar suffering various bouts of injuries and Messi struggling to adapt in his first year with the French side. They combined for just 11 goals in 45 games.

Despite having Kylian Mbappe in the mix too and forging a new attacking trio known as 'MSN', the Parisians flattered to deceive on the European stage. They were eliminated in the Round of 16 in the last two seasons of the UEFA Champions League.

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Messi enjoyed better partnership with Mbappe towards the end of his PSG career

Lionel Messi is closer to Neymar than Kylian Mbappe in terms of personal relationships. However, towards the end of his PSG career, the Argentine forged a deadly strike partnership with Mbappe.

As Neymar succumbed to a long-term ankle injury, Mbappe and Messi led the line for PSG with aplomb and linked up to devastating effect on the pitch. Since February 26, when Neymar was ruled out, the duo scored 19 league goals among them.

Mbappe has the lion's share of strikes with 14 of them, with many of them being assisted by Messi himself. The duo worked in tandem and cut open opposition's defense with the precision of a Swiss knife.