Lionel Messi's exit from Barcelona left the forward 'very sick', according to close friend Sergio Aguero - as he revealed the 'moment of shock' when the legendary star's departure was confirmed.
Messi ended his 20-year spell with the Catalan outfit this summer with the cash-strapped side unable to afford his eye-watering £600,000 a week salary, and the Argentine was reduced to tears at his farewell press conference as he was forced to leave his beloved club.
The 34-year-old went on to seal a sensational free transfer to PSG to join former Barcelona team-mate Neymar and compatriots Angel Di Maria and Leondro Paredes, but the player found it difficult to deal with the immediate aftermath of his exit, according to former Man City striker and fellow Argentine Aguero.
'It was a moment of shock,' he told El Pais. 'He was very sick. When I found out I couldn't believe it.
'That Saturday I went to see him at his house. And, because of my personality, since I didn't see him well, I tried make him forget what had happened.
'I could see that he was half off and I was trying to distract him. I was telling him about my Esports team. And the things we were doing.'
Aguero has been a team-mate of Messi's on the international stage for years, but the pair were very briefly together at club level as he signed for Barca on a free transfer this summer having left the Etihad.
He had been on the blue side of Manchester for a decade and was looking forward to linking up with Messi before the club shortly announced the players would be ending his long and iconic spell.
Aguero is yet to feature for Barcelona since his switch as he continues rehabilitation from a calf issue, but scored during a training match this week as he steps up his fitness levels to prove his worth to boss Ronald Koeman.