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‘What a special player you are!’ – Yaya Toure pays tribute to Barcelona legend Messi

The Cote d’Ivoire and Argentina greats played together at Camp Nou for three seasons and struck a strong friendship on and off the field

Akhmat Grozny assistant manager Yaya Toure has tagged Lionel Messi “a special player” following his departure from Barcelona this summer.

The Blaugrana confirmed this week that the Argentina international would leave the Catalan outfit after negotiations over a new deal fell apart.

Although the 34-year-old was set to accept a deal that would see his wage slashed by 50 percent, albeit, the 26-time Spanish kings' financial status made it an impossible mission for them to register him for the 2021-22 campaign without reducing their wage bill significantly.