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Lionel Messi's time at Barcelona was nothing short of incredible. The Argentine led the Catalan giants into their brightest era, helping them claim a whopping 35 trophies. He also recorded an unbelievable 672 goals and 303 assists to his name in 778 games during his spell at Camp Nou.
Beyond trophies and accolades, what makes Lionel Messi stand out is his ability to bring the best out of his teammates. The Argentine's formidable partnership with Neymar and Luis Suarez in Barcelona's attack is still being talked about. Likewise, his thriving connection with the likes of Samuel Eto'o, Pedro, and David Villa has also become part of his legend.
While the aforementioned players all thrived alongside the Argentine upfront, it's worth noting that there are others who didn't. That has inspired us to come up with a list of five top attackers who suffered due to Lionel Messi's presence at Barcelona. They are listed below.
#5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The Swede looked destined to reach unbelievable heights when he left Inter Milan to join Barcelona in 2009 for an astonishing transfer fee of Є66 million. Unfortunately, competition between him and Lionel Messi for the centre-forward role led to what was the end of his highly promising career at Camp Nou.
The 40-year-old later explained in his biography, as quoted by the Daily Mail, how he was affected by the towering presence of Messi.
"It was a childhood dream and I was walking on air. It started well but then Messi started to talk. He wanted to play in the middle, not on the wing, so the system changed from 4-3-3 to 4-5-1. I was sacrificed and no longer had the freedom on the pitch I need to succeed."
Zlatan Ibrahimovic ended up spending just one year at Barcelona, recording 22 goals and 13 assists in 46 games. He eventually joined AC Milan on an initial loan deal that was later made permanent for €24 million, in the summer of 2011.
#4 Alexis Sanchez
Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez is another top attacker who failed to break through at Barcelona, partly due to Lionel Messi's presence. The winger joined Barcelona from Serie A outfit Udinese in the summer of 2011 for a reported fee of €26 million.
Despite showing some promising signs, Sanchez remained under the Argentine's shadow at Camp Nou before deciding to part ways with the club. He was sold to Arsenal for €42 million in the summer of 2014 after bagging 46 goals and 37 assists for the Blaugrana in 141 matches, across three years.
#3 Samuel Eto'o
The Cameroonian was a huge force to be reckoned with during his time at Barcelona, with his explosive performances in front of goal. During his five-year stint at the club, the striker recorded an impressive 130 goals and 40 assists to his name in 199 games, across all tournaments.
Things started getting ugly when Samuel Eto'o started having issues with the then Barca manager Pep Guardiola. The Cameroonian was sidelined amid his beef with the tactician and that was the beginning of his end at Camp Nou.
Lionel Messi was demanding a central role during the period, and with the Argentine's flawless displays in front of goal, Eto'o never really got the chance to get back his role. The striker eventually left for Inter Milan in July 2009, in a swap deal which saw Ibrahimovic go the other way.
#2 Antoine Griezmann
There were rumors that Lionel Messi wasn't happy with Antoine Griezmann when the Frenchman landed at Camp Nou in the summer of 2019. This, according to the Spanish Don Balon magazine, was because of the Frenchman's infamous documentary titled 'La Decision' in which he snubbed the Catalan giants a year prior to the transfer.
The duo didn't enjoy the best of partnerships during their time together at Camp Nou as they struggled to get along on the pitch. Unlike Luis Suarez and Neymar, Lionel Messi's connection with Antoine Griezmann failed to meet expectations.
Both players left the club last summer, with the Frenchman sealing a loan swoop to Atletico while his Argentine counterpart joined Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent.
#1 Philippe Coutinho
Philippe Coutinho undoubtedly had the profile required of a typical Barcelona player. His only problem was that he had a similar role to that of Lionel Messi and it's easy to know who would get the wrong end of the stick in that scenario.
The Brazilian was largely played out of position during his time at Camp Now, playing on the wings on several occasions. After failing to nail a spot for himself in the team, Coutinho was loaned to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2019.
He returned after a season and was later loaned to Aston Villa last summer, just a few days after Lionel Messi had also left the club. The Brazilian appears to be reviving his career in the Premier League, with four goals and three assists to his name in nine games so far.
