7 brilliant footballers we completely forgot have played alongside Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has played with plenty of world-class players throughout his illustrious career, but he’s also had a few forgettable teammates in that time.
Still going strong in MLS today at the age of 37 the Argentinian magician still has plenty of magic left in his boots yet.
We’ve taken a closer look at some of his former teammates and have picked out seven players that we completely forgot played alongside the GOAT.
Kevin-Prince Boateng
To be honest, given how many clubs he’s played for, it probably shouldn’t come as a massive surprise that Boateng played alongside Messi, albeit very briefly.
The former AC Milan star joined Barcelona on loan back in 2019 and played a total of four games for the club in that time.
However, he only played 60 minutes with Messi on the pitch alongside him. While Boateng only got a brief chance to play with Messi, he did get to witness his greatness in training on the regular.
“To be honest I have to tell you that Messi doesn’t make mistakes,” Boateng told FIVE. “No, seriously, he doesn’t. We used to practice shooting from outside the box in training. Messi? 100 shots, 98 goals. I’m telling you: it’s not normal.”
Nolito
Primarily known for his stints with Celta Vigo and Manchester City, we’d forgive you for not remembering his brief spell with Barcelona.
After developing with Barcelona B, the Spanish winger only spent one year with the first team before he was sold to Benfica in 2011.
During his time at Camp Nou, Nolito played a total of 43 minutes alongside Messi.
Ludovic Sylvestre
The French midfielder became a cult hero at Blackpool during the three years he spent with the Seasiders, but he did get the chance to play alongside Messi in his formative years.
During his early years with Barcelona B, Sylvestre played a total of three games alongside a fresh-faced Messi. That’s one to tell the grandkids about.
Djeidi Gassama
Currently playing for Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship, Gassama was fortunate enough to play alongside Messi during his solitary appearance for PSG.
Alright, he was only on the pitch with him for one minute, but it still counts in our eyes.
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Jeison Murillo
Perhaps best known for his spell with Inter Milan, Murillo had a brief loan spell with Barcelona back in 2019 as the club were desperate for some defensive cover.
In the end, the Colombian only made four appearances for the club, but he did get his hands on a La Liga medal at the end of the campaign.
He also got to play alongside Messi for an entire 90 minutes as Barcelona smashed Levante 3-0 in January 2019.
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Oriol Romeu
Still technically on the books at Barcelona today, Romeu briefly got the chance to play alongside Messi during his first stint with the club.
The holding midfielder played a total of 38 minutes alongside Messi during a 3-1 loss to Sevilla back in 2010. We wouldn’t be surprised if Messi has forgotten this one either.
Franco Di Santo
While his international career was fairly short-lived, the former Chelsea and Wigan Athletic forward did get the chance to play alongside Messi back in 2012.
In total, Di Santo received three caps for Argentina and he played a total of 48 minutes alongside Messi during that time.
The pair never combined for a goal during their time on the pitch together, but it’s still a cool flex to be able to say that you’ve played alongside Messi.