Messi pays tribute to legend Quini

Former Barcelona legend Enrique Castro Quini passed away at the age of 68 and Lionel Messi paid his tribute on facebook.

Castro, nicknamed 'Quini', scored 54 league goals in 100 games for Barca and won two Copas del Rey (1981, 1983), as well as the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1982).

Lionel Messi posted a picture of himself with the Barcelona legend and captioned the picture with the message 'Hasta siempre, Quini. Farewell, Quini.'

The former player died in Gijon after suffering a heart attack. A statement from Barcelona read: "Enrique Castro 'Quini' dies (1949-2018), player and legend of our Club. The Camp Nou will never forget your legacy, RIP."

Quini played for Barca till 1984 and won five titles with the Catalan club. He also spent two spells at Sporting Gijon, the first of which spanned 12 years.

Carlos Puyol, Gerard Pique and former Spain and Real Madrid star Guti Hernandez also paid their respects to the former Spanish striker, who played at the World Cup in 1978 and 1982, as well as the European Championship in 1980, scoring eight goals in 35 appearances for the national side.

His career at Barcelona started turbulently when he was kidnapped at gunpoint during his first year with the club before he was rescued by the police after having spent 25 days in captivity.