BARCELONA - Lionel Messi bid farewell to Neymar on Instagram on Wednesday after the Brazilian striker told him and other Barcelona teammates he was leaving, saying it was a "huge pleasure" to have played with the Brazilian.

The Catalan club confirmed that Neymar wanted to leave after weeks of intense speculation as the 25-year-old forward closed a $264 million transfer to Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday.

"It was a huge pleasure having shared all those years with you, my friend @neymarjr," Messi wrote on Instagram, next to a montage of pictures of both stars high-fiving, embracing and laughing.