5 players who were lucky to play with Lionel Messi

#3 Jose Manuel Pinto

Pinto was a very close friend of Lionel Messi's

Having played second fiddle to Victor Valdes throughout his Barcelona career, Jose Manuel Pinto was a close associate of Lionel Messi's. While his on-field contribution was poor enough to earn him an ousting from the club, Pinto's antics in the locker room made him an important figure at Barcelona.

After spending most of his senior career with Celta Vigo, Pinto was purchased by the 26-time La Liga champions in 2008 to provide cover for Valdes. However, the Spanish shot-stopper was more popular for his error-prone nature than his saves.

Pinto's strong relationship with Lionel Messi clearly meant that Barcelona were better off with him in the squad. If reports are to be believed, Lionel Messi played an influential role during Pinto's contract extension with Barcelona as well.

Without the shadow of a doubt, Pinto can count himself lucky to have played 68 games with Lionel Messi. In hindsight, he probably never belonged at the same level as his peers.

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#2 Jeremy Mathieu

Jeremy Mathieu retired in 2020

In his 18-year long career, Jeremy Mathieu has amassed a trophy cabinet that can make any player green with envy. The Frenchman has two La Liga wins and a Champions League title to his name, amongst 10 other accolades. Despite being painfully average at football, Mathieu has enjoyed a career that many budding youngsters dream of.

He signed for Barcelona in the summer of 2014 for a massive €20 million fee, following the retirement of club captain Carles Puyol. Brought into a team consisting of Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique and Lionel Messi, Mathieu looked out of his depth as soon as he landed in Catalonia.

Nevertheless, he still managed to extend his stay with Barcelona to an impressive three seasons, making 91 appearances in the process. Considering that he was unable to live up to expectations, Mathieu was very fortunate to play 77 of his games in a Blaugrana shirt alongside Lionel Messi.

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#1 Martin Braithwaite

Braithwaite is out injured at the moment

In all honesty, Martin Braithwaite's entire Barcelona career is the result of pure luck. The Danish striker had never played for an elite-level club in his career prior to his transfer to the Catalan giants. A serious injury to Ousmane Dembele in February 2020 forced Barcelona to make use of a special La Liga clause, bringing Braithwaite to Camp Nou as an emergency signing.

Having played for the likes of Middlesbrough and Leganes in his prime years, a player like Braithwaite was never meant to don the Blaugrana colors. And he was definitely not fit to lead the Barcelona attack alongside Lionel Messi.

Nevertheless, fate had other ideas. Not only has the Denmark international partnered Lionel Messi at club level, but he has also done so 44 times. While the output of 10 goals in 56 appearances is dismal in its own right, his impact on the overall build-up play is non-existent, to say the least.

Braithwaite is lucky enough to have entered his third season with Barcelona, let alone partner the great Lionel Messi.

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