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#3 Angel Di Maria
On matters concerning Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria has seen it all and lived through it. Now teammates at PSG, Messi and Di Maria first played together in 2008 for the Argentina U23 team at the Beijing Olympics.
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Since then, both men have regularly played together for the Argentine national team for many years.
Di Maria has described Lionel Messi as a one of a kind player who did things others felt were impossible in some situations. In an interview with Ole granted shortly before the 2019 Copa America, Di Maria was vocal about this fact.
"I love to play with the Enano [dwarf], I love to see him in training too, the things he does. It's something unique, impossible to explain. The other day in the session, [Marcos] Acuna hit a cross that was impossible for anyone and he scored it with a scissor kick.
"There you say 'that's it, leave it, what can you do, it's a goal, haha'. None of us could do it. For that, I'm here enjoying it,” Di Maria said.
#2 Andres Iniesta
Andres Iniesta is another player who was a first-hand witness as Lionel Messi grew into the best footballer in the world. The Spanish midfielder was one of three players to form a solid midfield for Lionel Messi to thrive more up front.
The experienced midfielder was, alongside Messi, a member of two treble-winning FC Barcelona squads.
Iniesta is another who was dazzled by Messi's performances in training. In an interview with TyC Sports, Iniesta revealed that Messi was a different kind of player in training.
"I had the privilege to play with Leo, not only in games but also in training, where he ends up being even more spectacular.
"I am not surprised that he continues to make a difference. For me, Leo is number one since the day he started. [Messi is doing this for] so long in that level which makes it virtually unattainable."
#1 Dani Alves
Lionel Messi and Dani Alves shared a special connection on the football pitch that was somewhat akin to telepathy. They always knew where the other person would be, and that made them a dangerous pair to play against.
For all their understanding and telepathy on the pitch, Lionel Messi had no mercy in training. In an interview in 2017, Alves revealed what Lionel Messi did to embarrass him in training.
"I remember during one training session, Messi was doing things with the ball at his feet that defied logic," Of course, that is what he did every day. Only this time, something was different. Now, I need to remind you, this was an extremely intense training session. We were not messing around.
"Messi was dribbling through the defence and finishing like a killer. And then as he's running past me, I look down at his boots, and I'm thinking to myself, 'Is this a joke?' He comes running past again, and I think, 'No, it's impossible.' He comes running past again, and now I'm sure what I'm seeing."
