Former Leeds United favourite Raphinha sends Stuart Dallas heartfelt message after retirement announcement

Former Leeds United favourite Raphinha has sent a heartfelt message to Stuart Dallas following the news of his retirement from football. Raphinha was scoring on the biggest stage on Wednesday night as he bagged a brace for Barcelona against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals.

The Brazilian's goals helped the Catalan outfit to a 3-2 win on the road over PSG and puts them in a prime position to progress to the final four of the competition next week. However, after the game Raphinha took the time out to send his former teammate a message on Instagram.

The winger spent two years playing alongside Dallas at Elland Road, of course, and he was on the field when Dallas suffered the femoral fracture he has been unable to come back from. As such, he joined a list of people including Robbie Keane, Declan Rice, Harry Maguire and Ally McCoist in sending well wishes to the Northern Irishman on social media.

“All the best in your life my bro. Thank you magic," he wrote on his Instagram page on Wednesday night following the announcement.

Dallas has spent the final nine years of his career at Leeds United, joining the club in 2015 and becoming something of a club legend for the role he played in the Whites' promotion to the Premier League in 2020. However, at the end of his second ever season in the top flight, the 32-year-old fractured his femur in a collision with Manchester City's Jack Grealish.

He has spent the last two years trying to return from the injury, but a number of issues and setbacks have made a return to the side impossible. As such, Dallas will officially hang up his boots at the end of the season, calling time on a career that has spanned 17 years.

Dallas will be presented to the Elland Road at half-time on Saturday, when Leeds take on Blackburn Rovers, to give supporters the chance to show their appreciation.