5 greatest players to have played with Ronaldo, Messi, and Neymar
While Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have always been part of the debate of the greatest players ever, there have been times where Neymar Jr. has reached similar levels.
Neymar at 29 compared with Messi and Ronaldo đź‘€ https://t.co/EUF35gCsEp
All three have been regular features at the Ballon d’Or awards for quite a while, which only proves their proficiency. Not many can boast of being teammates of all three. Playing alongside such footballing greats is always an honor and only a few have been blessed to do so.
Messi and Ronaldo have both made transfer headlines
With Ronaldo and Messi both making big moves to Manchester United and PSG respectively, a lot of players have now got to witness their mastery up close.
Now let's take a look at five of the greatest players to have played alongside Ronaldo, Messi, and Neymar.
#5 Arthur Melo
We start things off with Juventus’ Arthur Melo. Although Arthur has never played alongside Neymar at club level, he has accompanied Neymar at international tournaments with Brazil. The 25-year-old has made 21 appearances for Brazil.
Arthur was part of the much-criticized swap deal between Barcelona and Juventus, with Miralem Pjanic joining the Catalans in his place. Arthur joined Barcelona in 2018 and spent two years at the club in the company of Messi. He won La Liga and the Spanish Cup with Barcelona in his first season.
Arthur: "I've played with both Messi and Ronaldo, and the mentality they possess is unbelievable. They always want more."
One positive of this transfer would be that Arthur got the chance to play alongside both CR7 and Leo Messi. Arthur was Ronaldo's teammate at Juve for a year before the latter made his comeback to the Premier League at the start of the 2021-22 season. Arthur won the Serie A and the Italian Super Cup with the Bianconeri.
#4 Keylor Navas
Keylor Navas joined Real Madrid from Levante in 2014 and was Ronaldo’s teammate for five years. Navas tasted a lot of success at Real Madrid and was part of the squad that won the Champions League three years in a row. He also has a La Liga title and a Spanish Super Cup to his name amongst other accolades.
Keylor Navas: “Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world and should stay at Real Madrid.” #HalaMadrid https://t.co/yXDtqZUcxT
Navas later found it difficult to get playing time at Madrid with Thibaut Courtois being preferred in goal. He then joined PSG in 2019 for a fee of €15 million. Navas has made 97 appearances for PSG so far. He has won the Ligue 1, French League Cup and French Super Cup with the Parisians.
Leo Messi followed Neymar’s footsteps and joined PSG at the start of this season. From bitter rivals to teammates, Navas is now alongside the former Barcelona star. The 35-year-old has not been a regular in PSG’s lineup, with Gianluigi Donnarruma fighting to claim the role of first-choice goalie.