5 of Lionel Messi's best teammates at Barcelona
Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi
At Barcelona, Lionel Messi has lined up alongside some of the very best in the business.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi is one of the greatest footballers of all time. Even today, at the age of 33, there are only a few players that can match his level. Barcelona has also always been a dream destination for footballers around the world. Naturally, Lionel Messi has also been able to play alongside some of the world's best.
In the opening decade of the 21st century, Barcelona were arguably the best football team in the world and they had a plethora of world-class talent on their payroll. Lionel Messi was central to their success during this time but the personnel around him were a critical part of that too.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five of his teammates at Barcelona that Lionel Messi worked best with.
5 of Lionel Messi's best teammates at Barcelona
#5 Neymar Jr.
While Lionel Messi is one of the best dribblers on the planet and one of the most technically proficient players on the planet, he has not always synced with players of the same ilk. Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann are similar players but Messi has not been at his best playing alongside them.
So there were concerns about how he'd gel with Neymar when he was initially signed from Santos. However, Neymar's and Messi's combination worked like a charm. Messi had found someone to share the goalscoring burden with and the two have combined to play some of the best attacking football we've seen in recent times.
Neymar occupied the right wing and he'd cut in from the flank just as Lionel Messi would from the left. The two had excellent chemistry and used to consistently pick out each other in dangerous areas.
Neymar recently expressed his desire to reunite with Lionel Messi and for all we know, it might just happen in the summer.
#4 Xavi
Xavi was one-third of the finest midfield trio in modern day football at Barcelona alongside Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta. Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets were the primary exponents of the tiki-taka style of football that Pep Guardiola's Barcelona had become successful with and famous for.
Xavi used to operate on the right side of the pitch and naturally, he and Messi struck up a connection. When two world-class footballers who can play to each other's strengths combine, the results will be extraordinary.
Xavi made a habit of recognizing Messi's runs and releasing him into tight spaces with his pin-point passing. Xavi was so good on the ball that he'd hardly ever lose possession and whenever they were getting suffocated in the centre of the park, the Spaniard would often combine with Messi to create chances out of nothing.