Lionel Messi sends heartfelt message to Marco Verratti after Al-Arabi transfer, ex-PSG star responds

Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi has sent a message to former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) teammate Marco Verratti following the latter's recent transfer.

Verratti joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Arabi for a fee of around €45 million this week, ending a 11-year stint at the Parc des Princes. The Italian made 416 appearances for PSG, recording 11 goals and 61 assists. He also won 30 trophies with the Parisians, including nine Ligue 1 titles and six French Cups.

Lionel Messi and Marco Verratti played together during the former's two-season stint in Paris between 2021 and 2023. They won two Ligue 1 titles and the Trophee des Champions together, though they fell short in the UEFA Champions League.

Following Verratti's transfer to Al-Arabi, Messi took to Instagram to post an image of the duo chatting in the dressing room after a match between Italy and Argentina. La Pulga captioned the post, dated September 13, with (translated by Instagram):

"All the luck in your new stage, @marco_verratti92!!! You already know I wish you the best always."

Verratti left a comment on the post that simply read (translated by Instagram):

"Thank you, friend ❤️"

A screenshot of Marco Verratti's comment on Lionel Messi's Instagram post.

Messi and Verratti shared the pitch 56 times during their time together at PSG, with the former assisting the latter once. The Ligue 1 giants won 35 of those contests and lost 12 times, outscoring opponents 132-61 overall.

In club football, they also played against each other on eight occasions when Messi was still with Barcelona, all in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Both the Catalans and Parisians won three matches each, while two games ended in draws.

More recently, they clashed in the 2021 La Finalissima with their respective national teams, where Messi's Argentina beat Verratti's Italy 3-0.

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Marco Verratti had also posted a farewell message for Lionel Messi when the latter left PSG

Lionel Messi brought down the curtains on his PSG career on June 3 this year, ending his stint in Paris by lifting the Ligue 1 title. A day after his final match - a 3-2 league defeat to Clermont Foot - Marco Verratti posted a message for the Argentine superstar on Instagram.

Verratti said (translated by Instagram):

"As a player you're the best of all but as a person you're even better. good luck to you and your family in your new experience. It was great sharing these 2 years with you ❤️ @leomessi"

Messi responded to the post by writing this in the comments (translated by Instagram):

"Thank you so much for everything in these two years. I didn't know you personally and you helped me from day one. It was a pleasure to have shared the court with you and much more everything we lived outside, Marco! Big hug. @marco_verratti92"

Lionel Messi's comment on Marco Verratti's Instagram post from June 4.

Overall, Messi recorded 32 goals and 35 assists in 75 matches for PSG before leaving when his contract expired this summer.