Lionel Messi, the former Barcelona talisman, rose to claim the title of the greatest player of all time while serving as the clinical figure in their glorious era at Camp Nou. He is now showcasing his brilliance in the MLS with Inter Miami, claiming the MVP for the 2023 season.
Messi played a monumental role not only as a player but also as a captain at Barcelona. In 2015, with the arrival of manager Luis Enrique, Messi formed soccer’s greatest attacking trio alongside Luis Suárez and Neymar. Recently, Suárez shed light on the incident that led to the trio’s formation.
Lionel Messi defied Luis Enrique’s instruction to start MSN
The former Barcelona striker Luis Suarez is closer than ever to reuniting with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, with his contract set to expire at the end of this month. The Uruguayan is a dear buddy of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, with both of them having played together in Spain.
The Messi-Suarez partnership is nostalgically remembered for their lethal collaboration with Neymar Jr., symbolizing an era of dominance against opposing defenses in the iconic Barcelona colors. Individually, Suarez amassed an impressive 198 goals for Barcelona across 283 appearances.
Recently, the former Atletico Madrid striker revealed what led to the formation of the ‘Messi-Suarez-Neymar’ trio. He claimed Captain Messi ignored Luis Enrique’s instructions to play as a false 9. He instead jokingly referred to Suarez as ‘Fatman’ and asked to switch positions during a Champions League clash against Ajax.
He narrated, “In one of the games against Ajax, Luis Enrique wanted Lionel Messi to play as a false 9 because he was used to that position, and Neymar and I were on the flanks, but he saw that it didn’t work.” during the interview with Clank!
“Lionel Messi told me: ‘Oh fat man, stay in the 9 position and I’ll open the pitch for you on the right side.’ And that’s the start of the MSN,” Suarez revealed, highlighting Messi’s selflessness of taking a wider position to accommodate the Uruguayan striker at CF.
Messi-Suarez-Neymar trio’s dominance
The MSN combination immediately flourished under the guidance of Luis Enrique, yielding countless trophies and shattering numerous records. They played a pivotal role in Barcelona’s triumphs, securing La Liga twice, Copa del Rey thrice, and claiming the Champions League in the treble-winning season of 2015.
This trio stood out as the most lethal goal-scoring unit, collaborating from 2014 to 2017. Overall, the trio contributed over 350 goals and nearly 200 assists while playing together.
Barcelona went on to win 77% of their matches across all competitions with the iconic trident leading the way. Their dominance was so pronounced that they even overshadowed the iconic trio of Bale, Benzema, and Cristiano Ronaldo from their arch-rivals, Real Madrid.
