WSince making his professional debut with FC Barcelona in October 2004, Lionel Messi has shared teams, matches and anecdotes with multiple players over his 21-year career.
In addition to playing for the Argentina national team, Leo contributed 1,300 goals in 1,135 games during his spells at Rose, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami. But most of them had someone special by their side. No, that’s not his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo. Which soccer player has played the most matches with Lionel?
Inter Miami shines and gears up hard for match against Cincinnati
The answer may surprise you: They shared over 600 games
During his early years at Barcelona, Leo became close friends with the Catalan midfielder, who joined the club at the age of 20 during the 2008-09 season. Together they took the team to another level, maintaining a competitive spirit throughout the years and encouraging Argentine creativity and freedom. And, of course, his teammate is none other than Sergio Busquets.
Together they were central to Barcelona’s most successful decade, winning national and international titles and making their mark in competitions from La Liga to the Champions League.
Now they are reunited at David Beckham’s club Inter Miami and have already played a total of 649 games together.
Barra’s other two teammates are joint second and third with Leo with the most appearances: Gerard Pic with 506 and Andres Iniesta with 489.
Lionel’s teammate at the Florida club, Jordi Alba, played 419 games with the Argentina captain, while Inter Miami’s current technical director, Javier Mascherano, also played 414 games with Lionel.
Meanwhile, Leo and Inter Miami will host New York City FC in the conference finals on Saturday, November 29th at 6pm ET after defeating Cincinnati 4-0 thanks to Leo’s goal and three assists.
