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#3 Bojan Krkic
Bojan Krkic's downfall from the top-level happened almost as quickly as his emergence, with the Spaniard hailed as the next Lionel Messi in the late 2000s. In what was a star-studded Barcelona squad that boasted attacking talent like Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi himself, Bojan burst onto the scene and made quite the impression under Pep Guardiola.
While he fizzled out after his first season at the Camp Nou and subsequently moved to AC Milan, Stoke City, Mainz and a few other clubs, Bojan was one of the hottest talents in world football at the time. Lionel Messi was still a young player then, but the Argentine was amongst the best in the business and took Bojan under his wing at the Camp Nou.
The gifted Spaniard never realized his potential and admitted several years after his Barcelona departure that the comparisons with Lionel Messi proved to be detrimental to his career.
"In the end, I know my qualities and I know I'm not Messi. I'm Bojan. If people want to say 'This guy was not the new Messi', okay, yeah I was not the new Messi."
At the age of 30, Bojan is currently a free agent, having plied his trade for Montreal Impact in the MLS most recently.
#2 Jordi Alba
As far as full-backs go, Lionel Messi's connection with Dani Alves is unlikely to be topped at Barcelona. With Jordi Alba, however, the Argentine great has struck up a partnership on and off the pitch, with the former Valencia man reportedly one of his closest friends at the club.
Alba joined Barcelona from Los Che after Spain's triumph at the European Championships in 2012 and quickly became a key player at the club. Known for his pace and crossing ability, the diminutive Spaniard dominated the left flank for years and is still going strong despite entering his 30s.
Alba and Lionel Messi have developed a telepathic understanding on the pitch, with the pair setting each other up for goals several times over the years. The Spanish defender has been an important player for Barcelona and it could be argued that Lionel Messi played no small part in it, as the Argentine has developed an exciting partnership with him at the club.
#1 Neymar
While Neymar left Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record deal to seemingly get out of Lionel Messi's shadow, it is well documented that the pair share a fantastic relationship off the field. By Neymar's own admission, Lionel Messi played a massive part in his early days at Barcelona, as the Brazilian described the Barcelona captain as a "special guy."
"I tell it for everybody now, that when I needed help the most, the best in the world [Messi] showed me affection. It's difficult, it's difficult. To be honest, it is very difficult because Leo was a very special guy for me at Barcelona."
Neymar also added that Lionel Messi sent him a message that read "I'm here for you" when he first arrived at the club, as the pair went on to forge a close bond at Barcelona. Together with Luis Suarez, the Barcelona trio broke records aplenty and won the treble in the 2014-15 season, as they combined to devastating effect and blew teams out of the water.
Despite leaving the club in controversial circumstances, Neymar has flirted with the idea of reuniting with Lionel Messi at some point in the future. Additionally, speculation surrounding the Argentine's future is currently dominating the backpages, as he continues to be linked with a sensational move to Paris Saint-Germain.
When quizzed on the matter earlier this season, Neymar remained optimistic about sharing the pitch with Lionel Messi in the future.
"What I want most of all is to play with Messi again, to be able to enjoy him once again on the pitch. He can play in my place, I have no problem with that! But I want to play with him next year, for sure. We have to do it next season."
No one knows what the future holds for Lionel Messi, but Neymar is one of his best pals and the pair could be set for an emotional reunion later this year.
