Eto'o corrects journalist over "playing with Messi": Who are the players that are Messi's perfect partners

In a recent interview,  former Cameroonian international, Samuel Eto'o reacted angrily to a journalist's question about him "playing alongside" Lionel Messi at Barcelona. Eto'o angrily corrected that it was Messi who played with him and not the other way around.

The Cameroon legend was indeed at the Catalan club when a young Lionel Messi broke through the ranks. Eto'o, though, was part of a forward trio consisting of Ronaldinho and Ludovic Giuly during his prime at Barcelona. Messi became a regular towards the end of the Cameroonian's time at the club. Thus, we look at the greatest players that have formed a good partnership on the field with Lionel Messi.

David Villa: Spanish striker, David Villa is arguably the best partner Lionel Messi has ever had. With the partnership of the diminutive striker, Barcelona won 8 major trophies in just 3 seasons. Along with Pedro, the trio won the treble for Barcelona in the 2010-11 season. All of Messi, Villa, and Pedro scored a goal each in that season's UEFA Champions League final.

Neymar/Suarez: It is hard to pick between these two for who was the better partner to the Argentine wizard. The signing of Suarez in 2014 brought to life the famous MSN trident at the Nou Camp. Since the start of the 2014-15 season, the trio made a total of 450 appearances, scoring 364 times and assisting 173 times. They also won 1 Champions League, 2 La Liga, 3 Copa del Rey and 1 Club World Cup.

Lautaro Martinez: The diminutive striker was able to give Messi the only thing he didn't have, a senior International trophy. From the likes of Maxi Rodriguez, Hernan Crespo, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero, no Argentine striker was able to form a formidable partnership with Messi to deliver an International title for Argentina. But the search was over when Inter Milan striker, Martinez broke onto the scene. And he was the perfect foil to help Messi win the Copa America title in 2021.