Lionel Messi is one of, if not the greatest player of all time. That is a fact of football. And with that status comes the privilege of playing with some of the best players that the beautiful game has to offer, who will likely spread the word of the Argentine's greatness even further.
There are many great honours in football, from the Champions League, all the way to the World Cup, but sometimes, players can simply realise their dream by sharing a pitch with Messi.
With that said, it must be some feeling to be named in the list of the legend's favourite teammates throughout his illustrious career – a list that we've taken a detailed look at, after it was revealed by Titan Sports, via The Daily Mirror.
10 David Villa
Arguably playing with Messi at the peak of his powers, David Villa formed quite the partnership with the Argentine, scoring a total of 48 goals in 119 appearances for Barcelona.
Messi, meanwhile, with Villa as a teammate, famously scored 91 goals in the calendar year of 2012.
9 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Likely fuelling Zlatan Ibrahimovic's planet-sized ego even more, as if that was needed, Messi also named the Swede in his list of his favourite teammates.
During his time at Barcelona, the former AC Milan forward made just 46 appearances, in which he scored 22 goals in a short, but efficient spell at the Nou Camp.
8 Sergio Busquets
Messi then moved on to his former Barcelona teammate, and current Inter Miami teammate Sergio Busquets. And this one is up there with the least surprising.
Such is the way that Busquets makes everything easier out of the spotlight, providing the platform for greatness, many attacking players over the years will likely give the same answer as Messi.
Now in MLS, the Barcelona legend will almost certainly do the same job.
7 Andres Iniesta
There's not many players that can match Messi's Barcelona legacy, but if anyone can come close, it is Andres Iniesta. And the iconic number 10 recognised the honour of playing with the legendary midfielder, naming the Spaniard in the list of his favourite teammates.
Iniesta won the lot during his time in La Liga, and remains one of the best players to ever step onto the famous Nou Camp turf.
It came as no shock when Messi name-dropped his former teammate.
6 Xavi
Just like during their playing career, you can't get Iniesta without Xavi. Together, they formed one of the best midfields in football history alongside the aforementioned Busquets, winning four Champions League trophies together.
It's no surprise that Messi named all three midfielders in his list. There's no doubting they truly helped provide the platform for his incredible success throughout his career.
5 Neymar
Even ignoring Neymar's pure football ability for a second, his friendship alone with Messi was going to get him on the list.
Back to his football ability, Neymar isn't exactly a poor player, either. His flare was the perfect addition to Messi's magic, with the duo enjoying particular success during their Barcelona days, while also showing occasional glimpses of magic together at Barca.
4 Luis Suarez
Just like Neymar, Luis Suarez's friendship gets him on Messi's list first and foremost, before we even look back on his incredible Barcelona career.
Together with Messi and Neymar, Suarez formed one of the best front threes in the history of football. Together, 'MSN' played a total of 409, scoring an incredible 344 goals and recording 157 assists, winning honours such as the Champions League.
Suarez, himself, during his time at Barcelona, scored 195 goals in 283 appearances.
3 Samuel Eto'o
Another player that Messi had the privilege of scoring plenty of goals alongside, Samuel Eto'o was as selfless as ever during his time at Barcelona, helping a younger version of the Argentine to great success.
In total, Eto'o scored 130 goals in 199 appearances for a sensational record in front of goal.
He remains a Barcelona legend, and one of Messi's favourite players.
2 Deco
Like Eto'o, Deco had an impact on the early stages of Messi's career – something that the forward acknowledged by listing the former Barcelona man in his list of favourite teammates over the years.
During his time at the La Liga giants, Deco made 161 appearances, winning one Champions League, and scoring 20 goals.
1 Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho was always going to feature on this list, wasn't he? At the time, it felt like the passing of the torch between the Brazilian legend to Messi, as if he was almost welcoming space for his forthcoming legacy.
Not many would have believed at the time that a player could better Ronaldinho's time at Barcelona. Yet, here we are, with arguably the greatest player of all time doing exactly that, and more.
