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Lionel Messi is a legendary football star who has been one of the world's best since his teenage years.
He turned professional in 2004 and has played for only two clubs since then. La Pulga has enjoyed great success in his career, thanks in part to the quality of his teammates.
Over the course of his career, Messi has played with some of the best players in the world for club and country. Together, they have managed to excel and capture various team honors. In this article, we will talk about the teammates who have shared a pitch with the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner the most times in his career.
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Without further ado, here are five players who have played the most matches on the same team as Lionel Messi in his career.
#5 Xavi | 399 games
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez played alongside Lionel Messi when both men were at the Camp Nou. The former midfielder was captain of the side in the closing stages of his career at the Spanish club.
Xavi had become a first-team regular by the time Messi broke into the first team. The Spanish midfield metronome had also graduated from La Masia and played for the first team.
When Messi made his league debut for the club in October 2004, Xavi was on the pitch. The pair went on to play 398 more matches together as teammates between 2004 and 2015 when Xavi left the club. They combined for 42 goals in their time as teammates.
Xavi is the last Barcelona captain to lift the UEFA Champions League title, having done so with the help of Messi in 2015 on their way to an unprecedented treble. His last game alongside Messi was the 2015 Champions League final against Juventus, which the Blaugrana won 3-1.
#4 Javier Mascherano | 414 games
Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano were teammates for both club and country. The defender had a good connection with Messi throughout his career and was his national team captain. Mascherano has since retired from professional football and is currently Argentina's U-20 manager.
Messi and Mascherano first played together in a friendly win for La Albiceleste over Angola in May 2005. The duo represented their country at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2007 Copa America. They also played for Argentina at the 2008 Olympics, where they won the gold medal.
The duo first played together at club level in September 2010 when Mascherano joined Barcelona from Liverpool. Their last game together was the 4-3 defeat to France in the Round of 16 stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Messi recently broke Mascherano's record to become Argentina's most-capped player in history. He was also handed the national team captain's armband in 2021 after Mascherano had been captain since 2008.
Both players enjoyed great success together at club level, winning multiple trophies.
#3 Andres Iniesta | 489 games
Lionel Messi succeeded Andres Iniesta as Barcelona captain and enjoyed many great seasons with the iconic midfielder. Both men developed a great understanding of each other in the Blaugrana shirt when they played together.
Iniesta came through the club's academy system and was already a first-team member when Messi made his senior debut in 2004. They first played together in their Catalan derby against Espanyol in October 2004 when they both came off the bench in a 1-0 win.
The pair played together a total of 489 times and combined for 53 goals in their time as teammates. Their last match was a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad in 2018, incidentally Iniesta's last match for Barcelona.
Messi and Iniesta were central figures as the Catalans became one of the world's most dominant teams. They won two trebles together at the club among a plethora of other trophies.
#2 Gérard Pique | 506 games
Taking academy games into consideration, Gérard Pique is undoubtedly the player who has played the most alongside Lionel Messi. The Spanish defender was from the same "Class of 87" group that tore apart youth teams in Spain while representing Barcelona's famed La Masia.
Pique and Messi played together as youngsters in the academy before the defender moved to Manchester United. Their first match as professional teammates came in September 2008 for Barcelona against Racing Santander.
The pair remained teammates for the next 13 years, playing 506 games on the same team. They last played together in May 2021 when Celta Vigo defeated Barcelona at the Camp Nou.
Pique, Messi and Cesc Fabregas were the three members of the Class of 87 that also played together for the first team. Pique enjoyed great success with Messi and witnessed his growth and innate ability more than anyone else.
The defender has since retired from professional football, having turned out for Barcelona a handful of times during the 2022-23 club season.
#1 Sergio Busquets | 567 games
Of all his teammates, Lionel Messi has played the most games alongside Sergio Busquets. The pair played together at Barcelona for nearly a dozen years as key players on the same team.
Like Messi, Busquets was recruited from La Masia after excelling in the academy. The midfielder was brought into the senior team by manager Pep Guardiola in 2008 when he became the club's first-team manager.
Busquets and Messi's first match together was in September 2008 against Racing Santander in a game that ended in a draw. Overall, they played 567 games as teammates, with the last of those being a 2-1 home defeat to Celta Vigo in May 2021.
In their time together, Busquets developed into one of the finest defensive midfielders in the world. From his deeper role, he helped set the tone for what Messi and Co. did higher up the pitch.
The duo won every possible trophy as teammates, elevating the club to new heights.
