According to Mundo Deportivo, among all the current FC Barcelona players, Lionel Messi only follows Pedri on social media — while Lamine Yamal has recently unfollowed Messi.
The report states that time flies: it’s already been four years since Messi left Barcelona. That means there are very few players in the current squad who ever played alongside him, as Messi now plays for Inter Miami. However, given the unshakable connection between Messi and Barça, the fact that he now only follows one current Barça player on social media has come as a surprise.
During his long tenure at Barça, Messi played with six players who are still with the club today: Marc-André ter Stegen, Iñaki Peña, Ronald Araújo, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, and Ansu Fati. In addition, Alejandro Balde trained with the first team during Messi’s final years, though he was not yet a full member of the senior squad. As for Yamal, he never shared a team with Messi — except for a widely circulated photo taken during his youth academy days.
Out of all these players, Pedri is the only one Messi currently follows on social media. The two developed a strong connection from the start — both on and off the pitch. They often displayed seamless link-ups in matches, and off the pitch, both are known for being humble and a bit shy, staying out of the spotlight. In 2023, Ronald Koeman said in an interview:
“Messi immediately noticed Pedri’s talent and was willing to combine with him on the pitch — something he wouldn’t necessarily do with every player.”
Another noteworthy point: Lamine Yamal unfollowed Messi a few days ago. Although Messi never followed the Barça youngster, Yamal had previously followed Messi — until he recently decided to “unfollow” him. The reason is currently unknown.
As for ter Stegen, it’s well known that he and Messi never had great chemistry; at most, their relationship was one of polite professionalism. More surprisingly, Messi no longer follows Ansu Fati, despite their once-close relationship. After Fati made his La Liga debut at age 16, Messi gave him a memorable hug and even posted congratulations on social media. There were even rumors at the time that Fati had entrusted his career to Messi’s brother, Rodrigo Messi.