The news of Lionel Messi's departure from Barcelona reverberated throughout the world, shocking almost everyone on the planet. The Blaugrana had enjoyed the most successful period in the club's history, with Messi leading their attack. While Barcelona were once stacked with legendary players, they have now been reduced to a club with elite stature but mediocre personnel.Lionel Messi has had some distinguished teammates over the yearsIn his illustrious senior career, Lionel Messi has had the opportunity to play alongside some of the greats of modern football. While earning a chance to share the pitch with the Argentine would be a dream come true for any player right now, it wasn't the norm in his youth days. As Samuel Eto'o cleverly mentioned in a recent statement, Lionel Messi used to play with him during his Barcelona days and not the other way around.Barça Buzz@Barca_Buzz• Ansu Fati inherits Barcelona's legendary #10 shirt from Leo Messi, who inherited it from Ronaldinho.• Fati made his debut with the #10 on Sunday and scored around 10 minutes after coming on.• He makes Culés dream of having found their new benchmark.Via: @mundodeportivo12:46 PM · Sep 28, 202125514• Ansu Fati inherits Barcelona's legendary #10 shirt from Leo Messi, who inherited it from Ronaldinho.• Fati made his debut with the #10 on Sunday and scored around 10 minutes after coming on.• He makes Culés dream of having found their new benchmark.Via: @mundodeportivo https://t.co/vzImNSzV3UNurtured by the dribbling wizard Ronaldinho, Messi was just a small cog in the all-conquering Barcelona side of 2006. In addition to a formidable centre-back partnership of Rafa Marquez and Carles Puyol, the Catalan giants were also represented by the likes of Deco and Henrik Larsson back then.With so many stars to call as his teammates, Lionel Messi has had the cream of the bunch in terms of acquaintances. Nevertheless, La Pulga also had his fair share of underwhelming allies who were fortunate enough to be on the same team as the Argentine. On that note, let's take a look at five players who were lucky to play with Lionel Messi:#5 Andre GomesGomes was an utter disappointment at BarcelonaThe Barcelona faithful were exhilarated to hear the news of Andre Gomes' transfer to Camp Nou back in 2016. Following a confident showing at the Euros that year, Gomes seemed to be an ideal pick for the Blaugrana. His passing proficiency and technical abilities made him the perfect team-mate for someone like Lionel Messi.However, Gomes failed to cope with the enormous pressure that accompanied the job and was a shadow of his former self in Catalonia. The Portuguese midfielder could not find his footing in two years with Barcelona and was subsequently offloaded to Everton on loan.infosfcb @infosfcb🗣Jordi Blanco (ESPN): “N'Golo Kanté was offered to Barcelona but the club chose to sign André Gomes instead.”10:29 AM · Jun 16, 202158932🗣Jordi Blanco (ESPN): “N'Golo Kanté was offered to Barcelona but the club chose to sign André Gomes instead.” https://t.co/K8uai8Q5uFGomes' dismal performances made him an ideal scapegoat for the club's failures. Now at Everton, the 28-year-old has successfully recouped a small portion of his reputation. Considering his inability to construct a stable mentality while playing at the topmost level, Gomes was lucky to have played 68 games with Lionel Messi.#4 MalcomMalcom left Barcelona after a solitary seasonOne of the strangest transfers made by Barcelona in the club's history, Malcom's €41 million acquisition from Bordeaux in 2018, shocked everyone in the footballing world. The Brazilian youngster was one of the hottest properties back then, having impressed thoroughly in Ligue 1.He was moments away from being unveiled as a Roma player, with pictures surfacing of fans waiting at the airport for their latest star. However, Barcelona swooped in at the last moment to hijack the deal. Subsequently, Malcom was presented at Camp Nou with expectations of cementing his place in the starting lineup in the near future.barcacentre@barcacentreMalcom (Zenit Saint Petersburg): "I've always tried my best, because in a club like Barcelona you have to be always ready. And every time, I was called to play I gave my maximum." [goal]3:48 AM · Aug 22, 2019118168Malcom (Zenit Saint Petersburg): "I've always tried my best, because in a club like Barcelona you have to be always ready. And every time, I was called to play I gave my maximum." [goal] https://t.co/GLVQYnJy1aNevertheless, due to a lack of opportunities and dwindling confidence, Malcom failed to make his mark in Catalonia. Apart from a few flashy performances, the Brazilian dribbler was mostly toothless going forward. Even 17 appearances alongside Lionel Messi could not bring the best out of him. Malcom joined Zenit St Petersburg just one year after his forgetful switch to Camp Nou.Also read: 5 La Liga records that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi failed to break