{"id":23772,"date":"2026-02-21T10:59:45","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T10:59:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T10:59:45","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T10:59:45","slug":"lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets set historical record for most matches played together"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"ue-c-article--first-letter-highlighted\"><span class=\"capital-letter\">a<\/span>After playing together for 15 seasons at Barcelona and 3 seasons at Miami, Busquets and Messi played together for almost 18 years, making them the pair of footballers who have played the most matches together.<\/p>\n<p>According to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), Messi and Sergio Busquets shared the field during their spells at Blaugrana and Inter Miami, appearing in 653 competitive games together.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ue-c-article__summary\">\n<figure class=\"ue-c-article__media ue-c-article__media--video  video-dailymotion\"><figcaption class=\"ue-c-article__media-caption\" itemprop=\"description\">\n<p><span class=\"ue-c-article__media-description\">What would happen if Lionel Messi was born in every country?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"ue-c-article__subheadline\">Messi and Busquets, record-setting duo<\/h2>\n<p>Busquets played a total of 653 games with Messi, 569 of them with Barcelona, \u200b\u200band won several national and international titles before deciding to retire at the end of the 2025 season. They then added 84 games in MLS with Inter Miami, strengthened their partnership across Europe, won multiple trophies in Spain, and later represented the Herons&#8217; first league title in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>This partnership officially began on September 13, 2008, when Busquets made his debut in the Blaugrana first team and matched up with Messi on the field. From this day began the era that characterizes modern soccer.<\/p>\n<p>This figure is important because only official matches at the top level are counted, and it is enough for both players to take part in the same match, regardless of whether they shared the exact same minutes.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"ue-c-article__subheadline\">Other historical duos<\/h2>\n<p>Playing 600 games as a teammate is extremely rare. According to IFFHS, only four other duos have achieved this record.<\/p>\n<p>This includes Gerd M\u00fcller and Sepp Meyer, who played 611 times, and Manuel Neuer and Thomas M\u00fcller, who also played 611 times for Bayern Munich and the German national team. In the hypothetical and unlikely case of Messi and Busquets playing together again in the same team, this figure could further increase, potentially threatening the records of Messi and Busquets. Busquets himself played an incredible number of games together with central defender Gerard Pique, reaching 620 games during almost 20 years at Barcelona, \u200b\u200band also reached this figure with his joint call-up to the Spanish national team. The same goes for full-back Jordi Alba, with whom he played not only for the national team and the Blaugrana team, but also for Miami.<\/p>\n<p>For example, Koke and Jan Oblak are far from these numbers, but while they have both passed the 550 game mark, they are still far from record numbers. The same goes for Koke and Griezmann.<\/p>\n<p>These numbers highlight the huge partnership that existed between two players who defined an era in their respective positions. Busquets was one of the most notable pivots of his time, with a simple, effective, elegant and practical style. And Messi has taken on a more creative, goal-scoring role as a false number 9 or 10 in recent stages, complementing both styles of play.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marca.com\/en\/football\/mls\/2026\/02\/21\/69998c0122601d6f388b4580.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>aAfter playing together for 15 seasons at Barcelona and 3 seasons at Miami, Busquets and Messi played together for almost 18 years, making them the pair of footballers who have played the most matches together. According to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), Messi and Sergio Busquets shared the field during their<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-23772","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets set historical record for most matches played together - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets set historical record for most matches played together - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"aAfter playing together for 15 seasons at Barcelona and 3 seasons at Miami, Busquets and Messi played together for almost 18 years, making them the pair of footballers who have played the most matches together. According to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), Messi and Sergio Busquets shared the field during their\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-21T10:59:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin_ok9yktt6\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin_ok9yktt6\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/\",\"name\":\"Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets set historical record for most matches played together - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/17716707502295.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-21T10:59:45+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/17716707502295.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/17716707502295.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets set historical record for most matches played together\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/\",\"name\":\"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates\",\"description\":\"EPL VIP is your ultimate source for all things related to the English Premier League. Get the latest EPL news, live match updates, transfer rumors, team analysis, fixtures, and exclusive insights for true football fans.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9\",\"name\":\"admin_ok9yktt6\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin_ok9yktt6\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_ok9yktt6\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets set historical record for most matches played together - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets set historical record for most matches played together - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates","og_description":"aAfter playing together for 15 seasons at Barcelona and 3 seasons at Miami, Busquets and Messi played together for almost 18 years, making them the pair of footballers who have played the most matches together. According to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), Messi and Sergio Busquets shared the field during their","og_url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/","og_site_name":"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates","article_published_time":"2026-02-21T10:59:45+00:00","author":"admin_ok9yktt6","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin_ok9yktt6","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/","name":"Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets set historical record for most matches played together - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/17716707502295.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-21T10:59:45+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/17716707502295.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/17716707502295.jpg","width":1200,"height":800},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/lionel-messi-and-sergio-busquets-set-historical-record-for-most-matches-played-together\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets set historical record for most matches played together"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/","name":"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates","description":"EPL VIP is your ultimate source for all things related to the English Premier League. Get the latest EPL news, live match updates, transfer rumors, team analysis, fixtures, and exclusive insights for true football fans.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9","name":"admin_ok9yktt6","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin_ok9yktt6"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/eplvip.com"],"url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_ok9yktt6\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23772\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}