Barcelona and Deco extend heartwarming gesture towards Lionel Messi on his 39th birthday | OneFootball

The bond between FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi is one that not a lot of other stories in football can mirror or replicate. Truly one of a kind, it is built upon a foundation of gratitude and a trust that took decades to build as the player grew from an academy prospect into the greatest player that the world of football has ever seen.

Yet, even that was not enough to stop things from ending on something of a sour note. With the conditions and reasons for his departure back in 2021 now being infamous, many believe that the relationship between the involved parties is no longer a positive one even though some kind of progress has been made on that front since then.

However, as pointed out by SPORT, it seems that the club itself and even Sporting Director Deco have not forgotten about the Argentinian great. After all, as the player continues to wreak havoc at the FIFA World Cup, he is also celebrating his 39th birthday and both Barça and Deco made sure to wish him on his big day.

Barcelona, through its social media accounts, posted the following message for Messi on his birthday:

“Another year celebrating greatness. Happy Birthday, Leo!”

Deco, on the other hand, posted a throwback picture of back when he used to be a teammate of Messi’s at Barça and gave it the following caption:

“Happy birthday, my friend.”

A simple message, but a heartwarming gesture nonetheless. It is truly endearing to see that, despite the differences and conflicts that may have come into light over recent years, both the club and the personnel working there remain fond of Messi and acknowledge his value to the club’s success as well.

After all, even though the likes of Lamine Yamal are enjoying their time under the sun now, Barcelona would not be what it is today without the excellence and pure magic that Messi delivered game after game for the club. Hopefully, this is not all the gratitude that Barça has in store for him, and a bigger reception for him can be prepared at some point in the near future.