Sergio Ramos and 18 others, who have played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

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After former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos made his long awaited PSG debut in the 3-1 win over Saint Etienne over weekend, in a match where Lionel Messi also featured and registered a hat-trick of assists, we take a look at the players to play alongside both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Angel Di Maria, Sergio Ramos and Achraf Hakimi are all former Cristiano Ronaldo teammates now playing in the same team as Lionel Messi. Photo Credits:  PSG/PSG via Getty Images

The two superstars, who have dominated football, winning countless individual and collective accolades for over a decade are regarded as the greatest football players of all time, and players nowadays dream to play alongside at least one of them on their side.

However, there are players who are lucky enough to play in teams that has featured the players. In this article, we shall be listing the names of these lucky football players.

1. Gerard Pique

The Spanish defender was on the books at Manchester United between 2004 and 2008, played alongside Ronaldo and won several trophies but it was with Lionel Messi at Barcelona that he enjoyed more success.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Gerard Pique were teammates at Manchester United. Photo Credits, gettyimages.

2. Carlos Tevez

The forward was able to lineup alongside Cristiano Ronaldo during his two seasons at Manchester United and was also able to play alongside Lionel Messi several time for the Argentina National Team.

3. Angel Di Maria

Di Maria is one of the few players that enjoyed a lot of games alongside the duo. With Messi, they are both regular in the Argentina National Team and got the chance to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in his four year spell in Real Madrid.

He is now playing at PSG alongside Lionel Messi. Making him the player that has enjoyed the company of the greats most.

4. Paulo Dybala

Dybala is also another player able to play alongside the two greats. He was Cristiano Ronaldo’s teammate at Juventus for three seasons before the Portuguese move on to Manchester United in the last summer and being an Argentine, he gets great opportunity to play next to his countryman.

5. Martin Caceres

Between 2008 and 2011, Uruguayan defender Martin Caceres was at Barcelona and had the chance to play alongside Lionel Messi, while in his third spell at Juventus, he met and played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in 2019.

6. Gonzalo Higuain

Higuain was teammates with Cristiano Ronaldo in Juventus and Real Madrid. With Lionel Messi, the Argentina National Team is an avenue to play with the PSG man.

7. Miralem Pjanic

The Bosnian played with Cristiano Ronaldo for two season and moved to Barcelona to line-up with Lionel Messi at Barcelona for one season before himself and Messi left the club in the past summer.

8. Arthur Melo

The Brazilian was part of the deal that took Pjanic to Barcelona after just two seasons with the club. He played the 2020/21 season alongside Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus.

9. Fernando Gago

Cristiano Ronaldo met the Argentine in Real Madrid in 2009 and they both play for the club until Gago moved to Roma on loan in 2011. He played alongside Lionel Messi for the Argentina National Team.

10. Andre Gomes

Andre Gomes joined Lionel Messi at Barcelona right after Portugal’s triumph at the Euro 2016, where Cristiano Ronaldo was his captain, he played in the same team as Lionel Messi for three seasons.

11. Nelson Semedo

Portuguese right-back Nelson Semedo played alongside Lionel Messi at Barcelona and with his country, he gets to enjoy the company of Cristiano Ronaldo.

12. Francisco Trincao

Francisco Trincao played joined Barcelona in 2020 and the same year, he won his first cap for the National Team, Portugal. He was able to play alongside Messi before the Argentine leave the club and played with Ronaldo in the National Team.

13. Deco

Deco was at Barcelona when Lionel Messi began to rise and was also a Portugal veteran when Cristiano Ronaldo was starting to gain recognition. He was also one of the lucky few to have played with both players.

14. Ezequiel Garay

The Argentine defender played for Real Madrid between 2010 and 2011 and made some appearances alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and played with his countryman, Messi, while on international duties.

15. Henrik Larsson

The Swedish was a former Barcelona and Manchester United player, there he got the chances to play alongside Messi and Ronaldo respectively.

16. Gabriel Heinze

Between 2004 and 2007, the Argentine was serving at Manchester United and played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, who was at the time a rising star. He played alongside Messi before his international retirement in 2010.

17. Achraf Hakimi

The Moroccan played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in his few games for Real Madrid and now he plays for PSG, and this season has made appearances alongside Lionel Messi.

18. Keylor Navas

Navas played for Real Madrid and was the Number one goalkeeper in their three consecutive Champions League triumph, whence he featured severally alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. He is now at PSG, joined by Lionel Messi in the summer.

19. Sergio Ramos

Spanish defender was at Real Madrid when Cristiano Ronaldo was signed and both enjoyed a successful run together before Ronaldo’s departure in 2018. Ramos departure was unexpected but it did happened.

On Sunday, he lineup alongside Lionel Messi for PSG and he becomes the 19th player to play alongside the two greats.


Afolabi Kehinde Hassan

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