Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has become the latest player to praise teammate Carlos Puyol, who will leave the Camp Nou at the end of the season.

The long-serving centre-back announced on Tuesday that he will leave this summer after 14 years with the Catalan outfit.

"I appreciate him a lot," Messi told Mundo Leo.

"It is not an easy decision for him to make but he has made it because he is totally convinced and sure that it is the right thing. We are going to miss him a lot, off the pitch as well as on it.

"I hope that everything goes well for him in the future, even if he plays against us or does something else, because he deserves it. He is a great person."

Messi is currently on international duty with Argentina.