Lionel Messi has named a star-studded dream team of players with whom he has shared the field in his illustrious playing career.
The empyrean Argentine playmaker has played with some of the crème de la crème of footballers throughout a career littered with a litany of trophies – both collective and individual.
Neymar, Ronaldinho and Kylian Mbappe made Lionel Messi’s greatest XI of his football career. Photo credit: @brfootball @ESPNFCSource: Twitter
Messi’s fairytale-like career has seen him play alongside some notable stars during his time at Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and the Argentina national team.
As revealed by GOAL Arabia, Messi’s lineup of the greatest XI he has played with predominantly features footballers he played with during his time at Barcelona.
Messi’s Greatest XI
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner surprisingly opted for Marc Andre Ter Stergen in between the sticks ahead of Spanish shot-stopper Victor Valdez, who was omnipresent during the trophy-laden years between 2006 and 2011.
He also opted for a central defensive partnership featuring Carles Puyol and Javier Mascherano, invariably omitting Gerard Pique from his list, while Jordi Alba and Dani Alves, who has assisted Messi 42 times, made up the back four, per All Football.
In midfield, Leo Messi chose Spanish duo Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta as well as Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho, the man who assisted his first-ever goal for Barcelona.
Neymar and Luis Suarez predictably made the list considering the camaraderie that existed between them both on and off the field. Messi formed a lethal partnership with the aforementioned duo, dubbed MSN, where they ripped defences into shreds.
Finally, his new partner-in-crime at PSG and the only non-Barcelona player, Kylian Mbappe, complete Messi’s list ahead of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry, David Villa and Sergio Aguero.
Messi mute on PSG future
Despite revealing the greatest XI he has played with, Lionel Messi has remained tight-lipped over his future amid a contract standstill with Paris Saint-Germain and reports of a return to his former club Barcelona, Sports Brief reported.
The 35-year-old was forced to leave Blaugrana in 2021 after they could not register his new contract due to financial complications. He joined PSG on a two-year contract.
Messi recently did a campaign for designer outfit Louis Vuitton and was asked about his future and claimed he does not know what is next
