The numbers had been ridiculous. Objectives, assists, trophies — stacked to a degree that borders on parody. It virtually feels obscene that Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez had been allowed to line up collectively, on the peak of their powers, at Barcelona. Give another person an opportunity, eh lads?
However numbers alone don’t clarify why it labored the way in which it did. They don’t seize the sensation.
You have a look at the bottom components in the present day, with hindsight, and it appears like world domination was inevitable.
Neymar is Brazil’s all-time prime goalscorer, probably the most eye-catching, dazzlingly gifted participant of the post-Messi & Ronaldo era. He was successful Puskas awards and being named on Ballon d’Or shortlists when he was a teen at Santos.
Suarez arrived contemporary from one of many biggest particular person campaigns any participant has had in English soccer historical past. Steven Gerrard just lately named the Uruguayan as his greatest-ever team-mate.
There’s little left to say about Messi’s legacy. Solely 18 months earlier than Suarez’s arrival, he’d scored 91 targets in a calendar 12 months. He was simply 23 when the likes of Arsene Wenger had been already declaring him the best footballer in historical past.
Luis Enrique is now broadly thought to be among the finest coaches on the planet, having led PSG to the treble with a hardworking staff in-built his picture. It’s the second he’s received in Europe.
Certainly, you stick that each one collectively and greatness was all the time of their future? Rewind to January 2015, and that seemed something however the case.
Luis Enrique was beneath nice stress in his first season answerable for Barcelona. It was his first elite-level job, and he nonetheless had every little thing to show at that stage of his teaching profession.
The previous Barca midfielder had struggled at Roma, achieved an honest however not particularly spectacular job at Celta Vigo, and his combative, uncompromising method led to a frosty reception from the infamously hypercritical Catalan press.
Neymar had proven loads of promise in his debut season, nevertheless it ended with none main silverware.
He struggled with accidents, and a query lingered over his capacity to adapt to the physicality and pace of the European sport.
The expertise was unquestionable, however he’d been overshadowed by the significantly extra highly effective Gareth Bale over within the capital.
Suarez had simply bitten Giorgio Chiellini on the 2014 World Cup. Whatever the prolonged ban that bumped into the early months of the 2014-15 season, his signing got here shrouded in controversy – not least for a mammoth switch charge. Would such a risky character upset the apple cart?
Messi, after all, was Messi. However there was a prevailing sense that the Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu presidencies had been failing to construct a staff worthy of his skills, particularly within the wake of Actual Madrid wanting ominously relentless within the six months following La Decima.
Individuals had been genuinely speaking up Carlo Ancelotti’s aspect as Madrid’s greatest-ever. If any staff seemed like successful a treble halfway via that season, it positive wasn’t Barcelona.
They received 18 of their first 21 outings in La Liga, together with a convincing 3-1 victory over Barca, and carried a file 22-match successful streak into the brand new 12 months.
Barcelona’s ‘MSN’ trident hadn’t precisely hit the bottom working. Suarez finally made his long-awaited debut in El Clasico in late October and provided a touch of what was to return by helping Neymar after simply 4 minutes.
However Madrid fought again to win 3-1 on the Bernabeu, profiting from a Barcelona aspect that lacked stability with their new celebrity frontline.
The three of them began the next week towards Celta Vigo and drew a clean in a 1-0 defeat in Galicia.
Suarez believes the beginning of Barcelona’s golden ‘MSN’ period actually started with a 2-0 victory over Ajax, bouncing again from these back-to-back La Liga defeats.
“Towards Ajax, Luis Enrique wished Messi as a false 9 since he was utilized in that function,” Suarez recalled in a podcast look again in 2023.
“Neymar and I had been on the flanks, however Messi noticed that it didn’t work & instructed me: ‘Oi Gordo, keep within the No.9 place & I’ll open the pitch for you on the appropriate aspect.’”
Far be it from us to contradict Suarez, however it could be some time but earlier than the ‘MSN’ had been actually flying. Suarez is correct concerning the tactical machinations and positioning, however the timeline doesn’t fairly match up.
Kind remained sketchy with a goalless draw at Getafe, whereas Luis Enrique paid the value for resting Messi and Neymar – who couldn’t rescue issues off the bench – as Barcelona kicked off 2025 with a 1-0 defeat at Actual Sociedad.
On paper, Barca had assembled probably the most fearsome assault in European soccer historical past. However they had been in some way failing to attain targets and paying the value for it.
There have been hints of their potential, with all three scoring in a Champions League group stage victory over PSG, however put merely this was not but a functioning staff.
‘Are Barcelona affected by an identification disaster beneath Luis Enrique?’ learn one headline in ESPN revealed on Christmas Eve 2014.
That appears wild now, nevertheless it was an affordable taking of the temperature on the time.
“As one commentator put it: ‘one of the best factor we are able to say about 2014 is that it’s over,’” famous author Sid Lowe.
“The issue is that, proper now, 2015 doesn’t look more likely to be a lot better. Final season ended with none trophies; the worry is that subsequent season will too.
“Worse nonetheless, some have determined, Barcelona are simply not Barcelona.”
The Catalans had been 4 factors behind Madrid on the midway stage of the 2014-15 season. Reigning La Liga champions Atletico Madrid had been degree on factors and defeat to Diego Simeone’s rugged band of upstarts may’ve seen Luis Enrique sacked in early January. The period might need ended earlier than it even started.
But it surely was in that sport that every little thing modified. From that time on, they by no means seemed again.
Neymar opened the scoring after simply 12 minutes. Arrange by Suarez. Twenty minutes later it was the Uruguayan on the scoresheet, with Messi appearing supplier. Mario Mandzukic fired again for Atleti halfway via the second half, however Messi sealed all three factors within the closing phases.
As Messi wheeled away to have fun, he was joined arm-in-arm by Suarez and Neymar. All three completely jubilant. Their beaming grins had been captured for eternity by the pitchside photographers.
🥳 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Messi, Suárez, and Neymar, January 2015 pic.twitter.com/BAN0cs3oL4
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) Might 28, 2023
The picture inevitably made the entrance pages of Spain’s sports activities dailies, in addition to the likes of L’Equipe and Gazzetta dello Sport throughout Europe. It obtained over 300,000 likes on Barcelona’s Instagram web page, again when that was a large quantity.
The symbolism was clear. The ‘MSN’ period was born that evening. Not solely did Barcelona boast three of the best forwards on the planet, however they had been linking up fantastically and getting one of the best out of each other.
They even developed sturdy bonds away from the pitch, with Messi and Suarez particularly tight to this present day.
A 3-1 victory, a large three factors, however most significantly an outstanding efficiency. Not solely did Neymar, Suarez and Messi all get on the scoresheet, however Luis Enrique had nailed the foundations of a superb, unstoppable staff.
The identical 10 outfielders would begin their treble-capping 3-1 Champions League ultimate victory over Juventus 5 months later.
The important thing shift was dropping an ageing Xavi Hernandez, the tiki-taka image of the fantastic Pep Guardiola period, for Ivan Rakitic.
The Croatian midfielder wasn’t wherever close to as tidy a passer as Xavi – he couldn’t run a sport – however his tireless working and boundless physicality provided the proper stability behind the entrance three and alongside outdated Pep stalwarts Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta.
Luis Enrique’s Barcelona, outlined by that entrance three, was an all-conquering juggernaut within the months that adopted.
They turned over Atleti twice extra within the Copa del Rey quarters. Scorelines of fours, fives, sixes and even eights had been routinely racked up as Barca went on to win 16 of their final 19 within the league. Man Metropolis, PSG, Bayern Munich and Juve had been all put to the sword in Europe.
The collective stats of Messi, Neymar and Suarez had been completely outrageous. With a mixed 451 video games collectively, they produced 363 targets and 272 assists.
There’s a superb probability we’ll by no means see such a fearsome assault ever once more. It began with that celebration in that win over Atletico.
It’s not usually {that a} staff, a historic treble-winning season, and a complete period may be summed up by one {photograph}. However legacies aren’t in-built trophy lifts alone.
Typically, they reside in a single body — one which tells you every little thing about who they had been, and why they’ll by no means be replicated.
By Nestor Watach
TRY A QUIZ: The Final Barcelona Quiz: 30 questions to check your information of La Blaugrana
