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Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer to have graced a football field. The Argentina captain came through the FC Barcelona youth ranks and made his debut as a teenager before going on to make the most appearances in the club's history.
Lionel Messi is still going strong at 34 years of age
Lionel Messi was recently awarded his seventh Ballon d'Or award, a testament to the spectacular career he has had so far. The PSG forward has always been a top performer and competitor throughout his career, even on the training pitch.
Messi has trained alongside some of the world’s best footballers. Here is a list of five players who have played alongside Lionel Messi, who have been stunned by his training displays.
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#5 Thierry Henry
After building a legacy as one of the greatest players to grace the English Premier League with Arsenal, Thierry Henry moved to FC Barcelona in 2007, where he played alongside Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi, who played with Henry, was still a developing youngster who was set to announce his legend to the football world.
As Henry revealed in an interview, Lionel Messi would get mad when he was denied a free kick in training and ripped through the entire team singlehandedly from time to time.
"So when the ball went back to his goalkeeper, he (Messi) ran back and demanded the ball," The goalkeeper rolled him the ball, and Messi then proceeded to run through the entire team and score. I did stuff like that too against little kids. But he (Messi) did it against some of the best in the world: Yaya Toure, Puyol, Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets.
"And it wasn't just that one time. He did it a couple of times. That's when I knew Messi was different to anyone we've ever seen."
#4 Carles Puyol
Former FC Barcelona captain and defender Carles Puyol is another player whose jaw dropped when he saw Lionel Messi in training. Both played together at FC Barcelona until Puyol's retirement from football in 2014, and the ex-defender had the highest respect for his insanely gifted teammate.
In an interview with La Vanguardia after his retirement, Puyol described how Messi would often embarrass him in training for all those years.
"In a mini one-on-one match, I told myself, 'I'm going to see if I can stop him'. It was humiliating. Pep Guardiola (the then coach) told me, 'Carles, don't injure him. I told Pep, 'If you don't want anything to happen, stop the session'. I tried everything but he always got past me at his own pace," Puyol said.
#3 Angel Di Maria
On matters concerning Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria has seen it all and lived through it. Now teammates at PSG, Messi and Di Maria first played together in 2008 for the Argentina U23 team at the Beijing Olympics.
Since then, both men have regularly played together for the Argentine national team for many years.
Di Maria has described Lionel Messi as a one of a kind player who did things others felt were impossible in some situations. In an interview with Ole granted shortly before the 2019 Copa America, Di Maria was vocal about this fact.
"I love to play with the Enano [dwarf], I love to see him in training too, the things he does. It's something unique, impossible to explain. The other day in the session, [Marcos] Acuna hit a cross that was impossible for anyone and he scored it with a scissor kick.
"There you say 'that's it, leave it, what can you do, it's a goal, haha'. None of us could do it. For that, I'm here enjoying it,” Di Maria said.
#2 Andres Iniesta
Andres Iniesta is another player who was a first-hand witness as Lionel Messi grew into the best footballer in the world. The Spanish midfielder was one of three players to form a solid midfield for Lionel Messi to thrive more up front.
The experienced midfielder was, alongside Messi, a member of two treble-winning FC Barcelona squads.
Iniesta is another who was dazzled by Messi's performances in training. In an interview with TyC Sports, Iniesta revealed that Messi was a different kind of player in training.
"I had the privilege to play with Leo, not only in games but also in training, where he ends up being even more spectacular.
"I am not surprised that he continues to make a difference. For me, Leo is number one since the day he started. [Messi is doing this for] so long in that level which makes it virtually unattainable."
#1 Dani Alves
Lionel Messi and Dani Alves shared a special connection on the football pitch that was somewhat akin to telepathy. They always knew where the other person would be, and that made them a dangerous pair to play against.
For all their understanding and telepathy on the pitch, Lionel Messi had no mercy in training. In an interview in 2017, Alves revealed what Lionel Messi did to embarrass him in training.
"I remember during one training session, Messi was doing things with the ball at his feet that defied logic," Of course, that is what he did every day. Only this time, something was different. Now, I need to remind you, this was an extremely intense training session. We were not messing around.
"Messi was dribbling through the defence and finishing like a killer. And then as he's running past me, I look down at his boots, and I'm thinking to myself, 'Is this a joke?' He comes running past again, and I think, 'No, it's impossible.' He comes running past again, and now I'm sure what I'm seeing."
