Lionel Messi’s leadership has proved to be very important. After a successful team-up with Samuel Eto and Ronaldinho, the star had Neymar and Luis Suarez to build a new partnership. Being more experienced at the club, Messi’s decision-making did hold a lot of value for sure. Here, Suarez explains how his pal’s tactical mind and leadership overlooking the coach Luis Enrique’s plan started the lethal trio: Messi, Suarez, and Neymar, aka ‘MSN.’

Pep Guardiola, during his tenure at FC Barcelona, started to get innovative. The same approach was taken by coach Luis Enrique, who took over the club in 2014. Messi’s idea to twist the formation in the same year led to the emergence of the most dangerous set of attackers in world soccer.

Luis Suarez describes how Lionel Messi kick-started the MSN trio

Luis Suarez agreed with the story that MSN started in January 2015 against Real Sociedad. The Uruguayan then explained how it rightly started in a match against his Ajax when things were not working. Suarez said, “Messi told me, ‘Oh fat man, stay in the 9 position, and I’ll open the pitch for you on the right side.’ And that’s the start of the MSN”. The plan from Messi came after he was playing the false nine position and Suarez and Neymar were playing from the wings. The false nine usually plays like a striker as well as a midfielder to trick the opposition and avoid getting marked.

However, that did not work, and Messi asked Suarez to take the center forward position, which began MSN. “Luis Enrique wanted Messi to play as a false 9 because he was used to that position and Neymar and I were on the flanks, but he saw that it didn’t work,” said Suarez. The Uruguayan was the best player in the Premier League, winning the Golden Boot before heading to FC Barcelona. But at Barcelona, he had to adapt and become a part of MSN, the best trio for quite a few years. Funnily, calling each other “fat” (translated from the Spanish word “Gordo”), Suarez developed a close friendship with the Argentine as time went by.

MSN’s dream run with FC Barcelona

The trio was a force to be reckoned with. The Barcelona attack was already blooming with Messi and Neymar. The duo had 85 goals and assists together in the previous season. After Suarez’s arrival, the team won the treble immediately for the 2014–2015 season, with the UEFA Champions League in it. Luis Enrique’s arrival in the same year made a statement to other teams with their performances.

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The three players scored a massive 122 goals in the 2014–2015 season. But their overall goals in the three seasons together were a monstrous 363 in all competitions. The best performance came from Suarez in the 2015-16 season, scoring 59 goals and 24 assists. Years later, a reunion of Luis Suarez with Lionel Messi is reportedly set to happen at Inter Miami, but their time at Barcelona could not leave a bigger legacy.

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