Lionel Messi has had the world of football under his spell for nearly 20 years. Competing within an elite, microcosmic duopoly alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, his skill has elevated the standards of the modern game, and has inspired many players to base their games around that of 'the little boy from Rosario', as Peter Drury dramatically crooned.

While Messi has heard close to all the superlatives football journalism can offer, he hasn't done it alone. On the most-watched stages of the game, Messi has played in some superb teams over the years, especially with Barcelona and Argentina. Read on, as GIVEMESPORT delves into the world-class supporting cast that have appeared the most times alongside 'La Pulga Atomica' ('the Atomic Flea').

Goalkeeper & Defence

Victor Valdes, Jordi Alba, Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano, Dani Alves

Starting between the sticks is Victor Valdes. The first of many fellow La Masia graduates, Valdes spent the majority of his career with the Blaugrana and totted up 535 official appearances along with a superb 21 majors. Of which, include six La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues. With Lionel Messi, Valdes arrives seventh in the list of most-played-with players, with 353 matches shared on the same pitch.

Just in front of him, is a back four that consists of Jordi Alba, Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano, and Dani Alves. Left-back Jordi Alba sits sixth in Messi's teammate table with 366 games shared out of his total 637 total appearances in Catalonia. The smart and pacey Alba, grabbed six La Ligas and a sole Champions League following his early career at Valencia.

Next to him is Gerard Pique. The commanding centre-back appeared in 616 competitive matches for the club and shared the pitch with Messi the second-most times, with 503 appearances. Javier Mascherano completes the defensive pairing with 414 appearances across three different sides (Argentina youth and senior, and Barcelona). The final defender is right-back Dani Alves. Sitting eighth in the appearance ranks, he appeared 349 times with Messi.

Between Valdes in goal, and his featured defenders, there are a whopping 80 winners' medals in a slew of Barcelona successes. This defence saw an average of 279 wins, 72 draws, and just 47 losses while playing with Messi. Additionally, they achieved an average of 2.29 points per game.

Midfield

Xavi, Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic

In the middle of the park, the masterful midfield trio of Xavi, Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic arrive as the most-fielded. Xavi appeared in 399 games, the fifth most, while Busquets tallied up 596 matches alongside Messi. This number is the most of the little Argentinian's team-mates. Rakitic, with 277 appearances, sits ninth.

Between the three, there are a combined 1272 appearances with Messi, and a collective 70 winners' medals. An intriguing aspect, more so for the midfield, is joint goal participation with the Argentine. In this regard, Xavi has 42, Busquets has 26, and Rakitic has 27. Furthermore, the three in the centre have an average of 300 wins, 76 draws, and just one more defeat than the defence with 48. The midfield also averaged 2.31 points per game for the Blaugrana with Messi.

Attack

Andres Iniesta, Luis Suarez, Pedro

Now, while the midfield was at a high standard already, the formation chosen had to make accommodation for one of those greats shifting into attack. Thus, Andres Iniesta gets put on the left wing. With research, it's a position he played in 103 times. Alongside him in the front three, are Luis Suarez and Pedro.

Iniesta arrives third in appearances with Messi, with 489 games. Suarez, one member of that iconic deadly trio of MSN, sits 10th in appearances with 272, yet has a ridiculous return. Pedro, 11th, notched 270 appearances. Combined goal participation just emphasises how mercurial Suarez and Messi truly were in a fine era that reaped 13 trophies, as the Uruguayan has 108 in just those 272 games. Iniesta and Pedro have similar numbers, with 53 and 54, respectively.

Between the three forwards, there are 62 winners' medals with Barcelona. Additionally, their win rate is quite something, just like the rest of this team. The attack alone averaged 242 wins, 63 draws, and just 39 losses playing with their star-man, while also seeing yet another impressive points average of 2.3 points per game.

Stats and information retrieved from Transfermarkt. Messi team-mates, Iniesta LW.