As Barcelona reeled from the reality that Lionel Messi really is leaving after 17 stellar years of trophy-laden success, former Barcelona and England star Gary Lineker was quick to salute the Argentinian’s legacy.

In the immediate aftermath of Messi’s address little reaction emerged in the Catalan metropolis as shocked fans, who turned out in their thousands to bid farewell at the Camp Nou, drank in the news that what they had feared really was happening.

The club itself posted on its Twitter feed a picture of Messi surrounded by replicas of the trophies he has won with the single word: Unrepeatable.

Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong tweeted late Saturday that “when I was a child I enjoyed watching all your games with my brother on TV in our room.

“When I came here two years ago I discovered you are an incredible person. It has been a dream to play alongside the best player in history,” said de Jong.

Barcelona’s former midfield general Andres Iniesta looked back on 14 years of often “magical moments” but added “imagining the club without you or seeing you at the Camp Nou in another shirt” would be very hard.

Here are some of the best reactions on social media.