Football facts: 10 players who have played most games with Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest player of this generation. Messi made his debut for the Barcelona senior team in 2004 and since then, he has played for only two clubs. La Pulga has won everything in his career, and a huge part of the credit should be given to his teammates. Throughout his career, Messi has played with some of the best players in the world for club and country. In this article, we will talk about one of the interesting football facts about Lionel Messi. Let's see the ten players who have played the most number of games with the Argentinian superstar.

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10 players who have played most games with Lionel Messi

1. Sergio Busquets (CDM) - Barcelona and Inter Miami - 586 matches

The former FC Barcelona skipper Sergio Busquets has played 586 matches with Messi and comes at the top of this list. They both have left Barcelona and now playing together in Inter Miami CF. There is no doubt about the quality Busquets possess and he has proved it in world football from time to time. Sergio Busquets has won nine league titles with Barcelona. He was part of the sextuple-winning team of Barcelona in 2009. Busquets will go down as one of the most underrated players, football has ever seen.

2. Gerard Pique (CB) - Barcelona - 501 matches

Gerard Pique is undoubtedly the player who has played the second most matches alongside Lionel Messi. The Spanish defender graduated from La Masia and became one of the best defenders in the history of football. Pique and Messi played together as youngsters in the academy before the defender moved to Manchester United. Pique's first match with Messi happened in 2008 and since then, they have played 501 games together. They played together for 13 years and enjoyed great success.

3. Andres Iniesta (CM) - Barcelona - 489 matches

Andres Iniesta is one of the best midfielders the footballing world has ever seen. The Spanish humble guy shared the stage with Lionel Messi from 2004-2018 in 489 matches and enjoyed great success together. Another La Masia talent became one of the greatest and won everything in his career. His partnership with Messi on the field was a treat for the fans. The link-up plays, the defence-splitting passes, the understanding, and the fast-paced tiki-taka football tore teams apart. Lionel Messi became the captain after Iniesta and he was a perfect successor. 

4. Javier Mascherano (CDM) - Barcelona - 414 matches

Javier Mascherano played with Messi for both club and country. From 2010-18, they were together everywhere. It's a shame they never won a major international trophy together but won great things for the club. Mascherano was a leader without the armband and his involvement in the game earned was on another level. Although, he was the captain of the national team. The duo represented their nation in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and 2007 Copa America and went on to play 414 matches together for the club and country combined.  

5. Xavi (CM) - Barcelona - 399 matches

Iniesta on the left,  Xavi on the right, Messi in front of them, and Busquets just behind them was a nightmare for the opposition. Pep implemented "tiki-taka" and they took it to another level. Xavi's link-up play with Messi on the right was enough to tear any team apart. He was a perfect orchestrator for Spain and Barcelona. Xavi was already a first-team player when Messi became a senior team player and then the duo went on to play 399 matches together and combined for 42 goals together as teammates.

6. Jordi Alba (LB) - Barcelona and Inter Miami - 360 matches

The famous Spanish left-back Jordi Alba was one of the most dangerous attackers for Spain and Barcelona. Almost every single one of Alba's assists to Messi has been lowballs into the box. They both understand each other well and the last-minute clutch goal from Lionel Messi in the El Classico in 2017 was a prime example of that. They are still playing together (360 matches) but in a different club named, Inter Miami. In the 2020 season, Barcelona were struggling to score goals aside Messi and Jordi Alba's brilliance. This shows how much this duo was effective for the team. 

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7. Victor Valdes (GK) - Barcelona - 353 matches

Victor Valdes, one of the best goalkeepers in the history of FC Barcelona has played 353 matches alongside Lionel Messi. He is also the highest-capped goalkeeper in the history of Barcelona and played a pivotal role in Pep Guardiola's sextuple-winning team. Victor has appeared in 535 matches for Barcelona and won three UCL titles and six league titles with Barcelona. He is regarded as the best shot-stopper in Barcelona's history. 

8. Dani Alves (RB) - Barcelona - 349 matches

The Brazilian sensation Dani Alves is the second most successful footballer in history with 43 titles, just behind Lionel Messi. He is regarded as one of the best right-backs in the history of football. He played his best football in Barcelona and 349 matches of those came alongside the great Lionel Messi. Alves won 6 league titles, 4 Copa del Rey titles, and three UCL titles after appearing in 410 matches for the Blaugranas. His connection with Messi was enough to create havoc on the right. He also used to cover Messi's defensive responsibilities which shows how energetic he was on the field. 

9. Ivan Rakitic (CM) - Barcelona - 277 matches

Rakitic was just sensational in FC Barcelona and if it wasn't for Xavi and Iniesta, he would have become one of the best midfielders in the history of the Balugranas. He played 277 matches with Lionel Messi and the duo just dominated the midfield against any opposition. In the El Classico match of 2017 in which Messi celebrated shirtless, Rakitic also scored a goal and that was a stunner. The Croatian won 4 league titles, 4 Copa del Reys, and 1 UCL title in his Barcelona career.

10. Pedro (RW) - Barcelona - 270 matches

The Barcelona forward line was once filled with superstars around the world and Pedro was never regarded as a key man. But he proved everyone wrong and defined the no 10 position. The fans often compare him with Thomas Muller who is the best at finding space in the field. Pedro has a direct resemblance with Muller and he played the role perfectly for Spain and Barcelona both.

He scored the opener in the 2011 Champions League final against a tough Manchester United side and became one of the legends of Barcelona's history. After his departure, Pedro often mentioned the 2011 Barcelona team and how he misses Messi's companion on the field. The duo played 270 matches together and achieved everything for the Blaugranas.