Lionel Messi's 5 best partnerships

Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer of all time. The Argentina international has won a record seven Ballons d'Or in his illustrious career. He spent 17 seasons with the Barcelona senior team before leaving as a free agent to join Paris Saint-Germain last summer.

Over the course of his Barcelona stint, Messi had the privilege of playing alongside some of the greatest footballers of the 21st century. The story is not very different at his current club Paris Saint-Germain either. He plays alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar Jr. and Marco Verratti to name a few.

Messi has shared a great level of understanding with several of his teammates during his career. But who did he connect with the most on the football pitch? Without further ado, let's take a look at Messi's top five most prolific parnternships

---

#5 Lionel Messi and Dani Alves - 48 Goal Contributions (349 matches)

FC Barcelona v CA Osasuna - La Liga

Lionel Messi and Dani Alves used to wreak havoc down the right flank for Barcelona during their time together at the club between 2008 and 2016. Alves is one of the greatest right-backs of all time and he was gifted in a technical sense and possessed incredible game intelligence as well.

Alves and Messi would combine regularly for give-and-gos down the right wing and it was a joy to watch them navigate their way past the opposition. Alves and Messi have combined to score 48 goals in the 349 matches they played together.

#4 Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta - 53 Goal Contributions (489 matches)

Barcelona v Sevilla - Spanish Copa del Rey Final

Andres Iniesta is one of the greatest midfielders of all time. A product of Barcelona's famed youth academy 'La Masia', Iniesta enjoyed a hugely successful career for both club and country.

He was a master at manipulating and creating space. Iniesta's dribbling skills were pretty much at par with Messi's and he was able to navigate the cul-de-sacs with ease and grace. The former Spain international also possesses unreal vision and an incredible passing range. He also shared a telepathic understanding with Messi.

Iniesta and Messi have combined to score 53 goals in 489 matches together for Barcelona.

#3 Lionel Messi and Pedro - 54 Goal Contributions (270 matches)

FC Barcelona v Malaga CF - La Liga

Pedro is one of those extremely talented players who doesn't really get the appreciation he deserves. During his Barcelona stint between 2008 and 2015, he played alongside some of the greatest players of the modern era and ended up being overshadowed.

But Pedro was as clever and technically adept as some of the best attackers of the 21st century during his Barcelona stint. He played quite a big role in the Catalans' extremely successful spell under Pep Guardiola, where they won three La Liga titles and two Champions League titles.

#2 Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. - 59 Goal Contributions (183 matches)

FC Barcelona v Deportivo Alaves - La Lig

Neymar Jr. and Messi love playing alongside each other. Neymar is one of the best forwards in the world and he burgeoned into a world-class winger at Barcelona. He struck a great partnership with Messi quite early on during his Barcelona stint and they consistently toyed with opposition defenders.

Neymar played down the left-wing while Messi operated down the right. With both players preferring to cut inside from the flank and link up with each other, the duo combined to score some absolutely brilliant goals.

Neymar left Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 but was reunited with Messi last summer when the latter joined the Ligue 1 giants. Together, Messi and Neymar have combined to score 59 goals in 183 matches.

#1 Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez - 99 Goal Contributions (258 matches)

Tottenham Hotspur v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League Group B

Luis Suarez was one of the best strikers of the 2010s. He is one of the most well-rounded centre-forwards we've seen since the turn of the millennium and Suarez absolutely relished playing alongside Messi.

Suarez thrived as the number 9 with Messi and Neymar playing on either side of him. Together, they formed the 'MSN' trio, which is regarded as one of the most dominant attacking units in the history of football.

Suarez and Messi continued to tear it up for Barcelona even after Neymar's departure in 2017. This went on until Suarez left the club to join Atletico Madrid in 2020. The Uruguayan international is also a very close friend of Messi's away from the pitch and that probably had a lot to do with their effectiveness together on the pitch.

The duo played 258 matches together and combined to score 99 goals during their time together at Barcelona.