Affectionately nicknamed MSN, Messi, and Neymar alongside struck up a great rapport during their time together FC Barcelona. A second successive treble for Barca is far from out of the question and, with the front three being hailed as the best in history, such a feat could earn the current side the title of the best club team of all time. Neymar made history in becoming the first, and only person to date, to score in every single game of the Champions League knock-out stages. Ronaldo, Pogba and Harry Potter - Inside the world of USMNT and Juventus ace Weston McKennie. Javier Mascherano shifted to a defender at Camp Nou and was solid at the back for many years.

Try again. Just try to imagine how things would be today if Messi left Barcelona back in 2014. Material: 100% Polyester. Four Bara's players make the 23-man shorlist for the Ballon d'Or. More than anything, Iniesta turned up for all the big games in 2014/15, and his Man of the Match winning performance against Juventus in the Champions League final is one for the history books, an absolute and instant classic. Click Customise Cookies to decline these cookies, make more detailed choices, or learn more. Reports emerged recently that Ramos in fact begged the Spanish FA President to support his claim for the Ballon dOr in 2020 before the competition was cancelled due to covid. Copyright 2017 - 2022 Barca Universal -. Barcelona wasnt the clear cut favorite in any of the games. A season built on individual genius, tactical masterclasses and clutch moments. But what is certain is that one day, someday, Barcelona will be back. Copyright 2022 Inside Sports IPL, IPL 2022, IPL News, Cricket News, Indian Premier League, IPL Updates, Messi leaves Barcelona: Top 5 players to feature alongside Messi for the Catalan Outfit FC Barcelona sent shockwaves across the football fraternity. Add to cart to save with this special offer. With 48 goals and 24 assists in all competitions, the lethal but unselfish Spaniard made a huge contribution to the Catalan cause. Everything slowly became about football and only football. People long for the games to finish. And whilst we can all look back now and realise that Iniesta was undoubtedly the worthy winner that year, he would ultimately still finish second once all the votes had been counted. With Lionel Messis time at FC Barcelona coming to an end, we have a look at the top 5 Barcelona players that shared the pitch with the 6-time Ballon Dor winner. Barcelonas current side is uninspiring. If Messi ducked inside to occupy the number 10 role, Alves took the task of covering the entire right side freeing Messi of any defensive responsibilities. In attack, Neymar has himself to blame for not sticking around longer at Barcaand possibly cementing his place in the final third ahead of Villa. I failed in my pursuit to kick a football for a living, so I traded my football boots for the keyboard and now I have the second best job in the world. Once you have subscribed we will use the email you provided to send you the newsletter. He scored the winning goal for Bayern Munich in the 2013 Champions League final which ought to have made him a prime candidate for the prize, but for whatever reason it simply wasnt to be. Twice voted La Liga's best goalkeeper this decade (2010 and 2011), the Spain international was a key part of the Catalan side's success prior to his final game for the club in 2014. Thanks for the feedback. And according to ancestry.com, I'm Eddie Hearn's sixth-cousin. However, even after his switch to Barcelona in which he played second fiddle to Messi, the Uruguayan was at times almost a match for the great man. FC Barcelona supporter shirt Neymar, Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and Suarez, football supporter. Thats something of a mystery to us, and if it tells us one thing its that we need to start putting some more respect on defenders names. In your opinion, which trio will be harder to replicate and why? To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. A magician, a natural talent. All of the responsibility lay on the same man, every time: Lionel Messi. The teams the blaugranas faced didnt lack quality.

At 30-years-old hes just three shy of equalling Peles Brazil goal record and has won countless major honours across his career.

As a matter of fact, Barcelona were heavy underdogs versus Guardiolas Bayern. The Argentine star has regularly lit up Camp Nou, breaking countless records and securing pilesof silverware in the process. After the 2014/15 season, probably nobody could have predicted Barcelonas horrifying nights in Rome and at Anfield. We have the best attack in the world, I think it is the best forward line in history., Here, I see everyone in Europe from Bayern Munich to, The treble-winning campaign returned a staggering combined total of 122 goals for Suarez, Neymar and Messi, a figure that eclipsed any other trio in Spanish history, per Barcelona's, Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, The South American treble have not slowed down in the current campaign, and Neymar and Messi were both included on the final shortlist for the 2015 Ballon d'Orwhich the Argentinian eventually wonwith Suarez controversially left out of the. While he wasnamed in the La Liga Team of the Year just once, Alves' ability and influence was often underrated andhis recent form forBrazilis a reminder the 36-year-old remains a special talent. Surez and Neymar both scored in the Champions League final versus Juventus, with Messi dropping a clinical performance as a playmaker. The Brazilian's speed, technical ability and physical strength made him a massive asset down the right flank, forming a fantastic relationship with Lionel Messi. Because for that team, losing wasnt an option. Alongside Dani Alvess overlapping runs and Xavis defence-splitting passes, Messi got the best of defence and midfield with him which really levelled up his game. Dani Alves:Lionel Messi and Dani Alves played together for eight years at FC Barcelona. Boys 'Size. Cristiano Ronaldo's awkward moment with Messi and Pele at 2007 FIFA awards, Sergio Ramos: Leaked audio reveals Real Madrid icon's Ballon d'Or request. To everyones surprise, the Uruguayan striker tipped the likes of Alves, Xavi, and Iniesta and tops the list of providing the most assists to Messi. Apart from being arguably the best centre-back of his era, Ramos has chipped in with 129 career goals to date showing hes a force at both ends of the pitch. A near unstoppable product in his prime, there was no quality the iconic Frenchman didnt possess. Though he only spent three seasons with Barcelona, between 2010 and 2013, David Villa still managed to leave his mark. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings, help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

Brilliance. Their wives are also said to get along with each other and have paired run a business together operating a boutique in Spain. Again, like Maldini, hes the ultimate team player and if youd have given Xavi the choice hed probably have given the award to Messi every year too, but lets just take a moment to appreciate the ultimate orchestrator of the beautiful game.

Xavi-Busquets-Iniesta or Messi-Suarez-Neymar: which trio is more legendary? The treble-winning campaign returned a staggering combined total of 122 goals for Suarez, Neymar and Messi, a figure that eclipsed any other trio in Spanish history, per Barcelona's website.

Barcelonas constant crossing: Lack of quality or tactical ineptitude? The newly signed Luis Surez was banned from playing due to his biting incident in the 2014 World Cup. On that occasion, Real Madrid and Croatia star Luka Modric was the fortunate beneficiary of a slight drop off from the usual recipients, not that he wasnt a worthy winner, although you might find that certain players on this list arguably deserved the accolade even more when at the peak of their powers. Coming off the trophyless 13/14 season where rivals Real Madrid won the Champions League, the morale in the dressing room wasnt really high. Also Read: Lionel Messi Transfer: Lionel Messi was shocked by FC Barcelona departure announcement. Its a tough ask for a goalkeeper to win the Ballon dOr and similarly to Zlatan, its easy to see why Buffon never won the prize, but taking into account his longevity and achievements in the game its hard to overlook Buffon for this list. With over 500La Ligaappearances to his name, the Spaniard made the competition his own and remained a key performeruntil2015 before moving toQatar. We also use these cookies to understand how customers use our services (for example, by measuring site visits) so we can make improvements. Check out who we believe are the 11 greatest players never to win a Ballon dOr below. It was so easy for him. 2022 Sports New Media Limited. The 14/15 season had a bumpy start. Third parties use cookies for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalised ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. Second most represented team. Qatari club Al Saddhailed them as a historic attacking line, while also crediting Enrique with developing how Barca play in his year-and-a-half in charge, per Spanish outlet. With 2020 approaching, Goal has decided to pick out the best players to have lined up for the Catalans over the past 10 years. The 34-year-old attacker is set to leave The Catalan outfit ahead of the upcoming season due to economic concerns and LaLiga rules. But what do you make of our selections? For exceptions and conditions, see. In fact, in his last campaign in La Liga as a34-year-old, Xavi still managed to contribute eight assists. Messi didnt get along with Luis Enrique, every day there were absurd reports in the Spanish press, but things really got crazy when Messi started following Chelsea FC on Instagram, and rumours of the Argentinian leaving Catalunya started surfacing, and it seemed like these rumors had basis.

The quality remained. Today, Barcelona are the best team in the worlda team to enjoy from a distance. The 14/15 RO16 was versus Manchester City, the reigning Premier League champions, the quarter-finals were versus PSG, the reigning French champions, the semi-finals were versus Bayern Munich, the reigning Bundesliga champions and the final was versus Juventus, the reigning Serie A champions. View cart for details. Between the sticks,Marc-Andreter Stegen has improved dramatically since arriving in 2014 and is currently in career-best form. Man Utd transfers LIVE: Red Devils ready to wait for De Jong, Chelsea target Kounde lining up Lukakus house . Copyright 1995-2022 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. They persisted through everything, the results, the drama, everything. The Uruguayan's astonishing 59-goal haul in 2015-16 even saw him voted the club's Player of the Season ahead of good friend Lionel Messi. The jaw-dropping performances and staggering numbers from the Messi/Ronaldo era has left many other worthy winners wondering what might have been had they been born a decade earlier, because its truly quite incredible that some these stars never received their crown. From 2008 onwards the coveted Ballon dOr award has been dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. As a matter of fact, it can be argued that he took up Xavis role better than anyone could have. 1996-2022, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. Or Lewandowskis 1st? Michael Owen beat insane list of players to win 2001 Ballon d'Or with Liverpool. Had he guided a club to European glory, who knows, maybe the 6ft 5inch Swede would be a Ballon dOr winner. Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. Though his time with Barcelonacame to an abrupt end in 2016, Dani Alves had been a key part of the Catalans' era of unprecedented success. Messi and his fathers ongoing tax case in Spain also seemed to be a reason behind the maestros potential exit. Thats not necessarily down to his own failures, though, more the enormous expectations that were held for him. Lionel Messi and Iniesta were amongst the most consistent performers for Barcelona on the field and also shared an excellent camaraderie both off it.