Lionel Messi: 'Sergio Aguero is like a brother to me'

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has revealed the extent of his friendship with Argentina teammate Sergio Aguero, claiming that the Manchester City forward is "like a brother" to him.

Messi, who recently equalled Raul's all time Champions League goalscoring record, remembers the day he met his future international strike partner.

"I can clearly remember the first day that I saw Kun, that moment has remained etched in my memory," Messi wrote in the foreword for Aguero's new book.

"Back then I didn't know who he was or even what he was called, let alone that I would later meet him in person or that, from then on, we would become great friends.

"We roomed together at the Under-20 World Cup in Holland and we hit it off really well. So from that moment on, we have always shared a room together. Don't worry we are just friends! When he is asleep I have to tiptoe to the toilet and stop my phone from vibrating in case it wakes him up. He is like a brother."

Aguero has scored 62 goals in 81 league games since joining City in 2011, making him the top striker in Premier League history in terms of minutes per goal.