Any football fan worth a pinch of salt knows that Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have been two of the best players on the planet over the past decade.
While Messi, continually recognised as the best player of all time, usually gets most of the attention, Luis Suarez is no slouch. If Messi (and Ronaldo) hadn’t been dominating the sport in recent years, he would probably have got his hands on at least Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual trophy a player can win. Suarez was killing it at Liverpool before his big-money move to Barcelona in 2014; there were many reasons why the Catalan club shelled out €80 million back when that was a huge sum.
Suarez didn’t just find trophies at Barcelona. He also found a lifelong friend in the shape of Lionel Messi. So where does their relationship stand today? And how was it formed? Let’s take a look.
Their Relationship Today: Rivals
Suarez and Messi may have been the best of friends during the six years they spent together leading the line at Barcelona, but today, they’re professional rivals. Suarez moved to Atletico Madrid in August 2020 and has been a key figure in the sides’ dominance of La Liga this year; they’re already more or less out of sight of Barcelona in the quest for the title.
So Suarez has won that round. But there’s another professional rivalry that Suarez will be less confident of: being crowned top scorer come the end of the season. Messi will be favourite to pick up this award (since he does most years) though Suarez might be a good shout, especially when using free bet offers, given his prolific start to the season (15 goals in 12 games). Still, Messi isn’t far behind, and he hasn’t even clicked into gear yet this campaign. If he does, then Suarez will have to do something truly magical to beat his old friend.
Their Time At Barcelona
Footballers don’t have to be best of friends to enjoy professional success. And they don’t have to enjoy professional success to be friends. Messi and Suarez managed both. During the six years they shared at the Nou Camp, the two were, alongside Neymar, an unstoppable force. Indeed, so effective was their partnership that they were responsible for more than 70% of Barcelona’s goals when the Uruguayan was on the pitch.
It was certainly a productive partnership for Messi, who scored 280 times when Suarez was at the club. From a purely stats perspective, Suarez is the best partner that Messi has ever had — and let’s not forget that the Argentine has played with some truly astonishing players.
It wasn’t just spectacular goals that the Messi/Suarez partnership brought to the club, however. They also flooded the trophy cabinet with trophies. They won thirteen trophies together, including four La Liga titles, four Copa Del Reys, and one Champions League.
Spending Time With Families
Messi seems like a pretty likeable guy; you won’t find any of his ex-teammates giving anything other than a glowing assessment of the world’s best player, and Lionel is always talking positively about his teammates and coaches.
The relationship he has with Suarez, however, seems to go beyond any other friendship he’s had with a professional footballer. Part of the connection is based on the two players’ individual commitment to their families. When they both lived in Barcelona, the two would get their families together for BBQs, and even go on holiday together. As anyone who has travelled with another person knows, you have to really like your companion if you’re going to return home with your relationship intact!
Alas, all good things must come to an end. When current manager Ronald Koeman took over the reins at the Nou Camp, he was quick to tell Suarez that he was no longer needed, hence the move to Atletico Madrid. You can imagine, however, that Messi’s distrust of the Barcelona hierarchy means their friendship was not impaired by the move.
