Lionel Messi officially has broken the seemingly unbeatable record set by legendary Spanish midfielder Xavi for the most Barcelona appearances in all competitions which now tallies at 767 after playing against Huesca on Monday.
The two magicians developed a special partnership during their time at FC Barcelona which proved to devastate the European football scene. A composed playmaker ready to exploit any space given to him in Xavi Hernandez combined with an all-round phenomenon of a footballer who has arguably developed an assisting trait better than his mentor in Lionel Messi.
The Frank Rijkaard managing era was the time in which these two stars individually grew metaphorically in stature and importance at the Catalan club. Xavi was made vice-captain in 2005 following his impressive first two seasons at the club where he racked up 20 assists as a defensive midfielder. Following the departure of superstar Ronaldinho, who befriended Messi and believed that he would become an even better player than himself, the diminutive Argentinian was considered to be world class in an instance. This youthful pairing was exciting and reinforced the idea of La Masia, where these two stars built their foundations.
The appointment of Pep Gaurdiola in the 2008/2009 season ultimately shaped their careers. Xavi providing pin-point passes to his teammates to set up Lionel Messi who flourished in all attacking scenarios. Their partnership was aided by the philosophy inaugurated by former Barcelona midfielder Pep Guardiola, who made them both fall in love with football in their youth, in the form of the famed tiki-taka. This tactical mastery was a stroke of genius.
More specifically in regards to the Spaniard's role, Xavi was helped by the overlaps of the purposefully attacking-minded full-back in Dani Alves and he threaded passes penetrating all defences in Spain which Lionel Messi would undoubtedly and perpetually capitalise on.
They had a sort of telepathic chemistry with one another when playing the game and complimented each other. Goal and assist was a common theme and their presence deteriorated European clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester United.
The pinnacle of Pep's formidable Barcelona side came in the 2011 Champions League Final against Manchester United. Performances from Captain Xavi and Messi were mesmerising. Their constant patience and immaculate runs from midfield left their opponents completely disorientated. Rotation and brilliant passes dazzled Wembley Stadium with their sheer dominance of United.
Before the primary European cup was lifted by Barca, Wayne Rooney had his breathe taken away from him during the game which Xavi Hernandez explained following the final, “It must have been around the 80 minute mark, Wayne Rooney said to me: ‘That’s enough. You’ve won. You can stop playing the ball around now." This outlines the breathtaking and unstoppable force that was Hernandez and Messi.
Xavi tore defences apart in this tie with an exceptional 95% pass success rate from his record 148 passes. His relationship with Iniesta was also significant as the trio at their time at Barca were involved in 733 goals and 559 assists.
Subsequently, we saw the Spanish midfielder place third three times in a row in the Ballon Dor while placed behind winner Lionel Messi in all three of his third places in 2009,10 and 11.
Trophy after trophy, the two sustained their success until Xavi's departure in 2015.
Lionel Messi has fortunately carried on the legacy of Xavi as he has emulated his playing style to cement his reputation as 'the complete player'. Learning from Xavi has been apparent as Messi is often seen scanning and overviewing the game for the first 10 minutes or dropping deep to receive the ball on the half way line to try and create more clinical opportunities.
A partnership never seen in the world of football and perhaps the best and most iconic ever in football. Described by Frank Lampard as 'absolute naturals on the ball' are they the most magnificent pairing to play the game?
Christopher Johnson, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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