Samuel Eto’o, a Barcelona legend, once reacted strongly to a question about his time playing with Lionel Messi. When a reporter referred to Eto’o as having “played with Messi,” Eto’o immediately corrected the notion, stating that Messi had played with him, not the other way around. He insisted, “No, no, no. Messi played with me, I didn’t play with Messi. In my era, Messi played with me, it’s different. Totally different.” While this response could have been delivered in jest, Eto’o has consistently expressed his admiration for Messi and has acknowledged the Argentine’s greatness, highlighting how he witnessed Messi’s transformation into a world-class player.
During their five seasons together at Barcelona, Eto’o and Messi forged a successful partnership on the field. Eto’o was instrumental in Messi’s early years at the club, and their collaboration led to several titles, including the 2009 European treble. Eto’o himself enjoyed a prolific career at Barcelona, scoring 130 goals in 199 appearances and winning multiple domestic and international trophies, including three La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies.
As for Messi, he scored a staggering 672 goals and provided 303 assists in 778 appearances for Barcelona, cementing his legacy as one of the club’s greatest-ever players. Messi’s record includes 474 goals in La Liga, making him the league’s all-time top scorer, along with numerous other records and trophies, including four Champions League titles and seven Copa del Rey wins. After his departure from Barcelona in 2021 due to contract issues, Messi continued his career at Paris Saint-Germain before moving to Inter Miami in 2023.
