As Lionel Messi prepares to bid farewell to Barcelona following the announcement earlier this week that he would not be signing a new contract at the Camp Nou, the Argentina captain hosted a meal at his Catalonia home for friends and family.

Among the notable attendees at the gathering were some of Messi's former Barca teammates including Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba. 

Another significant figure from the six-time Ballon d'Or winner's career was also present at the event, in the shape of his international colleague and close pal Sergio Aguero

Aguero joined Barcelona from Manchester City this summer with the intention of playing alongside Messi for the Blaugrana. However, the duo must now part company before ever playing a game together at club level, after Messi was denied the option of signing a new contract with Barca because of La Liga's strict rules concerning Financial Fair Play.

So instrumental, in fact, was Messi in convincing his friend to move to Barcelona that there has been speculation that Aguero could demand an immediate move away thanks to the shocking recent turn of events.

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ENTER GIVEAWAY

However, despite the fact that Barca's current financial woes meaning that the club cannot actually register Aguero to play them, the man himself confirmed to fans on Saturday that he would remain a Barcelona player for the upcoming season.

Footage shared on Twitter by user @albert_roge showed Aguero reassuring supporters as he left the club's training ground, insisting: "Don’t worry, you have me all year long."

Aguero's words will be of some comfort to the Camp Nou faithful, still reeling from the sudden nature of Messi's departure. 

Messi took part in a highly emotional press briefing on Sunday morning, during which he discussed his exit from the club and thanked all who had supported him during his 17-year spell there.

Prior to that media engagement, Aguero took to Instagram to post a picture of himself and Messi at the 34-year-old's farewell party, together with the caption: "All the best in whatever comes my friend. And always with that smile. I love you."

As tough as the loss of Messi has been for Barca fans, it has also impacted those who were lucky enough to share the pitch with him.

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