Mina lost €50 a day betting on free-kicks with Messi and Suarez

Yerry Mina has only been at Barcelona since January but he's already lost hundreds of pounds by betting against team-mates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

The optimistic Colombian defender challenged his fellow South Americans to a series of free-kick challenges in training... and was unsurprisingly well beaten.

But that is not to say that the bets were unsuccessful — they were Mina's way of helping himself settle in after signing from Palmeiras.

They worked and the 23-year-old is now good friends with Messi and Suarez, describing his star team-mates as 'great people'.

Speaking to Bocas magazine, Mina said: 'When I first joined the club, I started betting with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez to generate a good atmosphere.

'It was to see who could take the best free-kicks in training but every day I was losing 50 euros.

'And I was like, "What, I'm paying for these guys to go shopping!"

'I had to laugh but the truth is those monsters put the ball where they want, they are great people as well as magicians.'

Despite feeling at home in Barcelona, Mina has been linked with a summer move away from the Nou Camp and admits that he is uncertain what the future holds.

He added: 'In terms of my future, I have no idea but I'm calm about it. I'm 23 years old and have a lot of football left to play.'

Manchester United and Everton are among the clubs who have been credited with interest in Mina.