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Football has always been a game of teamwork, connection, and friendship. Usually, teammates in the same club (or country) have a general friendship with each other. After all, they play together and train together almost every day.
But occasionally, a player can become such close friends with a fellow teammate, that their friendship is rarely affected even when they continue their careers in new clubs.
Liverpool fans will remember the partnership Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard had during the five years they spent manning the Reds' midfield. Part of their brilliance, success, and telepathic connection on the pitch came from their genuine friendship, which didn't die when Alonso continued his career at Real Madrid.
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For Zlatan Ibrahimovic and former Brazilian international Maxwell, the separation didn't come easy after they started playing together at Ajax. Their friendship blossomed and they ended up playing together at Inter Milan, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain throughout the course of their careers.
Ibrahimovic is still plying his trade in Italian football, while Maxwell is a sporting director at PSG, but the duo haven't lost contact.
There are many other stories of amazing friendships between footballers that span decades in the history of the sport, and talking about all of them would be nearly impossible.
However, let's take a look at some best friends who are currently playing football, and how their friendships have blossomed beyond the pitch:
#10 Mason Mount and Declan Rice | best friends since Chelsea academy
Inseparable since their youthful days at Chelsea's academy, Mason Mount and Declan Rice have remained tight friends even though they play for different Premier League clubs today.
While Mount stayed at Stamford Bridge, helping the Blues secure a Champions League trophy, Rice joined West Ham where he has driven the team to the coveted top-six spot for a chance at European glory. Both players are on England's national team where they get to train, play, and celebrate goals together.
Chelsea's recent Champions League title win was a huge event for Mason Mount, and his best friend immediately called on the phone to share the moment with him. Declan Rice laughed about it later, explaining:
"It was straight after, from the dressing room, buzzing. But we’ve got to be a bit careful because people will say we’re in love. Every time we FaceTime, all of his team-mates jump in and say: ‘You two need to stop talking to each other.'"
#9 Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong | best friends since Ajax
They've been seen going grocery shopping together, driving to training together, and hanging out all the time. This was during their days at Ajax, when Matthijs de Ligt was still considering Juventus' offer and Frenkie de Jong made the decision to move to Barcelona.
They were inseparable throughout their careers at the Dutch club, but that hasn't changed in recent years. The duo play for the Netherlands senior team and their partnership on the field is still a joy to behold.
However, reports have surfaced about the Juventus star joining his best friend at Barcelona. With the Turin giants struggling to make headway in Serie A after losing talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, it is rumored the centre-back is considering his options. Whether he will consider reuniting with his close pal, however, is unknown.
#8 Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford | best friends at Manchester United
They may have a five-year difference in age, but Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard went through a rather similar story. They both joined the United academy as 7-year-olds, and they've both risen through the ranks and into the first team at Old Trafford. Today, they jog, hang out, play FIFA, handle press interviews, and even holiday together.
Jesse Lingard famously got in trouble after sharing a controversial tour of their apartment in Miami where the duo had gone on holiday. Rashford defended his best friend openly, and their bond has grown even closer ever since.
Both stars play for the England senior team as well, and with Lingard's improving performances at Old Trafford, they'll likely get more playing time together as well.
#7 Harry Kane and Son Heung-min | best friends at Tottenham
When Jose Mourinho said the duo's friendship was key to their seemingly telepathic style of play on the pitch, he wasn't exaggerating. The brilliant striker might be looking all out of sorts today, managing a goal drought that seems to have no end. But Premier League defenders will remember how hard it was to take on Harry Kane alongside Son Heung-min.
Both players have carried Spurs in attack for a few seasons, but while Son has extended his contract at the club, Kane is looking for a way out. Although his transfer problems are affecting results on the pitch, it's only a matter of time before Kane starts scoring for Tottenham again.
With Son at his side, Spurs fans will hope for renewed vigor from the duo in the final third.
#6 John Stones and Harry Maguire | best friends in England's lower leagues
They started their respective journeys in youth setups at Sheffield United and Barnsley, and they've both grown to playing for the two largest clubs in Manchester. Harry Maguire and John Stones both grew up in Yorkshire, close to each other, and although they often dueled with each other, the duo are close friends.
Harry Maguire recently shared an emotional tidbit during an interview about how he and Stones are constantly there for each other to lean on during tough times:
"We spoke to each other through times where it's tough. We spoke when it was tough and we speak when it's going well. Like I say, I'm close with John. You go through ups and downs and it's about how you bounce back and believing in yourself and working hard. That's only what you can do."
#5 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexander Lacazette | best friends at Arsenal
The duo met in January 2018 and hit things off immediately, and according to Aubameyang, it was straight out of a bromance novel:
"It was love at first sight! The day I arrived, he came straight up to me and said, 'I hope we'll play together.' I said, 'I hope so too.' I knew we could form a really good partnership and help each other score goals."
Although critics and pundits assumed that Aubameyang might take up Lacazette's spot in front, or vice-versa, the duo's friendship blossomed and they were quick to quell any goalscoring concerns.
In the season after both players joined, they built a brilliant partnership on the field, scoring 50 goals between each other. They're not just brilliant strike partners on the pitch, they're friends outside football as well.
#4 Luka Modric and Gareth Bale | best friends since Tottenham
Gareth Bale and Luka Modric made massive waves at Tottenham over a decade ago. They played brilliant football, but they were fast friends too. When Modric moved to Real Madrid, he didn't lose touch with Bale, and by 2013, the midfield maestro openly discussed the Welshman's move to the Santiago Bernabeu:
"Since Madrid is the team of the galaxy, Bale would fit perfectly, we could really use him. He would give the team another dimension. I can tell you we're friends and he is an exceptional player. I guarantee it."
Los Blancos certainly listened to Modric's words and brought Bale in, and the consequent years saw the duo win back-to-back European trophies and titles all round. Although Bale may have been struggling at Madrid recently, he still has his best friend's shoulders to lean on.
#3 Marco Reus and Robert Lewandowski | best friends at Borussia Dortmund
For Marco Reus, it was a tough couple of seasons: his two closest friends Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski left Borussia Dortmund for Bayern Munich in two consecutive seasons.
However, while Gotze now plays for PSV, Reus and Lewandowski continue their love-hate affair, playing for the two biggest rivals in German football.
Although they hang out often and spend a lot of time outside football, they try as much as possible to look like enemies during games. They play for rival clubs after all.
It hasn't always been easy, as they've had quirky moments like the popular moment when both players tried to maintain their seriousness, but broke off smirking at each other.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo | best friends at Real Madrid
When the two players met, it was at an international fixture between Brazil and Portugal in 2008, and they had an altercation. However, with Ronaldo joining Marcelo at Real Madrid, the two became inseparable on and off the pitch. While at Juventus, Ronaldo spoke in an interview about missing Marcelo, stating:
"Marcelo is very happy here [at Real Madrid]. I got on very well with him and we speak a lot, the same with Casemiro, with Pepe, with Coentrao. I got along well with everyone, but Marcelo is lively and I miss him."
Ronaldo and Marcelo's respective families were also quite close, with the Brazilian's wife reflecting on how Ronaldo's Juventus move affected the family:
"We have felt it because we got on really well with his family. I know his mother well and Georgina is charming. Furthermore, my son is really good friends with Junior, Cristiano's son. So it has left us with a big vacuum."
#1 Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez | best friends at Barcelona
Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi have had a famous friendship, especially with the two stars partnering so delightfully on the field. However, Suarez was deemed surplus to requirements by Barcelona over a year ago, and he moved to Atletico Madrid where he ensured a brilliant title win for Diego Simeone's men.
Messi, on the other hand, has gone to Paris Saint-Germain after his contract with Barcelona finally expired.
But the two stars have remained very close. Messi was openly displeased about Suarez's treatment at Barcelona, and more recently, Suarez expressed his anger with the way Messi's contract was handled.
With their wives still close and their families catching up for meals and dinners, it's fair to say that the duo have one of the best friendships in football.
