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#4 Angel Di Maria | PSG
For most of their careers, the duo have not played for the same club. However, Angel Di Maria is also an Argentine international, which has often seen the two stars share a pitch on the international stage.
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With Messi currently at PSG, Di Maria couldn't be any happier:
“My friendship with Leo is very good and it makes me very happy to wear the same shirt as the best player in the world, to be able to play alongside him and be his friend. It is something I will never forget.”
#3 Marco van Basten | Ajax legend
Another Ballon d'Or winner, Marco van Basten is well aware of Lionel Messi's talent. While the former Dutch legend has won the coveted trophy thrice, Argentina's talisman has won it six times and is on the shortlist to win it for the seventh time.
For van Basten, Lionel Messi is the epitome of greatness and humility:
“There is no doubt about it, Messi is clearly the best player in the world. He’s a phenomenon who has already won everything, but is still hungry for more. His humbleness only makes him greater."
#2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic | AC Milan
Under Pep Guardiola, Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic played at the Nou Camp together, providing Blaugranes with scintillating performances and skills. Ibrahimovic is a journeyman, unlike the Argentine star who stuck with Barcelona through the major bulk of his career, and although he has played with many stars, Messi clearly stands out for him:
“Messi does not need his right foot. He only uses the left and he’s still the best in the world. Imagine if he also used his right foot, then we would have serious problems.”
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United
A rivalry beyond comparison, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have taken the football world by storm for ages. They have together won 11 Ballon d'Or trophies across an entire decade. There have never been two players as legendary as Messi and Ronaldo playing together in the same period.
The duo lit La Liga with the most exciting El Clasico matches in the history of the Barcelona-Real Madrid rivalry, and Ronaldo admitted just how important Messi's rivalry was to him:
"I have no doubt that Messi has made me a better player and vice-versa. When I am winning trophies it must sting him and it's the same for me when he wins. I really admire the career he has had and from his side, he has already talked of the disappointment when I left Spain because it was a rivalry that he appreciated."
