While Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer of all-time, the list of players he has shared the dressing room with is no less spectacular. From Ronaldinho to Iniesta, over the years Messi has been surrounded by some highly talented footballers. When asked to name his favourite teammates, the Argentina captain revealed that he was “lucky” to represent Barcelona for a long time along with some of the best players.
“Like Ronaldinho, Deco, Eto’o, Suarez, Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta, [Sergio] Busquets, I was lucky enough to play with the best players and enjoy the game with them. Speaking of which, I almost forgot about Neymar because there are so many people. There must be many players I forgot to mention. I’ve been lucky enough to play with the best players, with the best strikers. Like Neymar, Eto’o, Suarez, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic and [David] Villa and many more,” Messi said during an interaction with Titan Sports.
Barcelona holds a special place in Lionel Messi’s heart. During his 21-year-long (17 years as a senior professional) association with Barcelona, Messi enjoyed incredible success. He became Barcelona’s record appearance holder and top scorer, guiding the Catalan giants to innumerable titles. Overall, the 36-year-old scored 672 goals in 778 matches for the La Liga side. He went on to claim four Champions League titles and 11 LaLiga trophies for Barcelona. Messi’s stellar stint at Barcelona came to an end in 2021 after he decided to leave Nou Camp as a free agent. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Seeing Messi in a different shirt was quite shocking for football fans. For Barcelona president Joan Laporta, it was a “strange feeling” to see Messi in Inter Miami jersey. “It’s a strange feeling. We identify Messi with Barcelona. That’s the way I think most supporters see Messi because most of his career has been at Barca. But we respect his decision and we wish the best for him. We want the best for our players. He came to Barcelona as a 14-year-old, and he spent 20 years with us. I hope he can be very happy in Miami,” Laporta told ESPN recently.
After plying his trade for PSG in the last two seasons, Lionel Messi signed for American side Inter Miami this summer. Messi’s signing for the Major League Soccer (MLS) has so far proved to be simply magnificent. Having made three appearances for Inter Miami, Messi has till now scored five goals. In his recent Inter Miami appearance, Messi scored a brace against Orlando City to guide his side to the round of 16 of the Leagues Cup.