5 greatest players to have played with Ronaldo, Messi, and Neymar

While Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have always been part of the debate of the greatest players ever, there have been times where Neymar Jr. has reached similar levels.

All three have been regular features at the Ballon d’Or awards for quite a while, which only proves their proficiency. Not many can boast of being teammates of all three. Playing alongside such footballing greats is always an honor and only a few have been blessed to do so.

Messi and Ronaldo have both made transfer headlines

With Ronaldo and Messi both making big moves to Manchester United and PSG respectively, a lot of players have now got to witness their mastery up close.

Now let's take a look at five of the greatest players to have played alongside Ronaldo, Messi, and Neymar.

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#5 Arthur Melo

US Sassuolo v Juventus - Serie A

We start things off with Juventus’ Arthur Melo. Although Arthur has never played alongside Neymar at club level, he has accompanied Neymar at international tournaments with Brazil. The 25-year-old has made 21 appearances for Brazil.

Arthur was part of the much-criticized swap deal between Barcelona and Juventus, with Miralem Pjanic joining the Catalans in his place. Arthur joined Barcelona in 2018 and spent two years at the club in the company of Messi. He won La Liga and the Spanish Cup with Barcelona in his first season.

One positive of this transfer would be that Arthur got the chance to play alongside both CR7 and Leo Messi. Arthur was Ronaldo's teammate at Juve for a year before the latter made his comeback to the Premier League at the start of the 2021-22 season. Arthur won the Serie A and the Italian Super Cup with the Bianconeri.

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#4 Keylor Navas

Manchester United v Paris Saint-Germain: Group H - UEFA Champions League

Keylor Navas joined Real Madrid from Levante in 2014 and was Ronaldo’s teammate for five years. Navas tasted a lot of success at Real Madrid and was part of the squad that won the Champions League three years in a row. He also has a La Liga title and a Spanish Super Cup to his name amongst other accolades.

Navas later found it difficult to get playing time at Madrid with Thibaut Courtois being preferred in goal. He then joined PSG in 2019 for a fee of €15 million. Navas has made 97 appearances for PSG so far. He has won the Ligue 1, French League Cup and French Super Cup with the Parisians.

Leo Messi followed Neymar’s footsteps and joined PSG at the start of this season. From bitter rivals to teammates, Navas is now alongside the former Barcelona star. The 35-year-old has not been a regular in PSG’s lineup, with Gianluigi Donnarruma fighting to claim the role of first-choice goalie.

#3 Angel Di Maria

Brazil v Argentina: Final - Copa America Brazil 2021

Di Maria played alongside Ronaldo at Real Madrid for four years from 2010 to 2014. The duo were lethal in attack and were involved in plenty of goals for Los Blancos. Di Maria won several accolades with Real Madrid, including a La Liga title, a Champions League, two Spanish Cups, and one Super Cup.

The Argentine left Madrid in 2014 and spent a season at Manchester United, where he was given Ronaldo's number seven jersey. After a somewhat disappointing stint, Di Maria then joined PSG. Two years later, Neymar completed his record-breaking transfer and joined Di Maria at PSG.

Di Maria has been incredibly consistent for PSG and his performances have sometimes been under-appreciated. Di Maria admitted he was elated to see fellow Argentinian Leo Messi join the Parisians in 2021. Although the pair are yet to reignite their chemistry at PSG, they have been exceptional for their country. Di Maria has 118 caps for Argentina alongside Messi, who has 158.

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#2 Gerard Pique

FC Barcelona v RC Celta - La Liga Santander

Very few players have had the chance to play with Messi and Ronaldo at the start of their careers. Gerard Pique spent five years with Barcelona’s youth academy and spent the majority of this time alongside Leo Messi. He then joined Manchester United in 2004 where he played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

Pique won the Champions League and Premier League with United, and then moved back to Barca in 2008 where he was reunited with Leo Messi.

He has since been Barcelona's mainstay in defense, winning numerous trophies. He has also faced Ronaldo in many thrilling El Clasicos over the years.

This is Pique’s 13th season with Blaugrana, and he was also Neymar’s teammate for four years between 2013 and 2017. The 34-year-old may be on his last legs, but it is evident that Pique is fiercely loyal towards Barcelona and plays with the utmost passion.

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#1 Sergio Ramos

Netherlands v Spain - International Friendly

The longevity and accomplishments of Sergio Ramos make him one of the greatest defenders in the world without a doubt. Ramos spent a considerable amount of time with Ronaldo at Real Madrid during which they made the perfect combination of attack and defense.

Ronaldo and Ramos are undoubtedly in Real Madrid's hall of fame. Ramos won 5 La Liga titles, 4 Champions Leagues, 4 Super Cups, and 2 Spanish Cups amongst many other honors with Los Blancos. The 35-year-old bid a tearful goodbye to Madrid and joined PSG at the start of the 2021-22 season. He will now play alongside both Neymar and Messi.

Ramos suffered a muscle injury due to which he has unfortunately not featured much for the Parisians. He has made just 4 appearances for PSG across all competitions. Ramos will face his former comrades in the next round of the Champions League as PSG face off against Real Madrid.