Messi and his close friend set a record after more than 600 matches

As acknowledged by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics, Lionel Messi and a fellow player at Inter Miami have set a significant historical landmark.

In 2025, world football witnessed a historic milestone that will likely be remembered for decades to come. During this calendar year, Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets continued to push boundaries by elevating their world record for the number of matches played together to the figure of 653, while playing for Barcelona and Inter Miami. This stands as clear evidence of the rare durability, consistency, and success of a duo in top-level football.

This record was officially confirmed after Busquets decided to conclude his career at the end of the most recent MLS season and was recognized by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). Out of the total 653 matches, Messi and Busquets played together 569 times for Barcelona and an additional 84 matches for Inter Miami. These numbers reflect a journey spanning two continents across various competitions, while maintaining a high level of performance over many years.

The partnership between the two players began on September 13, 2008, when Busquets made his first-team debut for Barcelona. On that day, he played alongside Messi and Gerard Pique, marking the start of a golden era in the history of the Catalan club.

Before setting the record with Messi, Busquets had formed another iconic duo with Pique. The two played a total of 620 matches together, including their time at Barcelona and 87 appearances for the Spanish national team. However, that achievement was ultimately surpassed by Messi and Busquets, who set a new standard.

In the history of professional football, only four pairs of players have surpassed the milestone of 600 matches played together. Besides Messi and Busquets, other notable names include Gerd Muller and Sepp Maier with 611 matches, and Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller of Bayern Munich and the German national team, who also reached a similar milestone before Muller left the club.

Although theoretically other pairs could approach this feat in the future, the record held by Messi and Busquets currently stands firm as the all-time number one. Notably, this statistic only counts official matches at the highest level, and a match is recorded whenever both players were on the field, regardless of overlapping playing time. This further highlights the scale and value of the accomplishment they have achieved together.