Ex-Barcelona Trio Dominating South American Football
With Neymar Jr. scoring a brace against Bolivia in their opening match of the World Cup Qualifier 2026 campaign, all of the members of the famous trio – MSN – are now the top scorers of their respective countries.
Messi, Suarez, and Neymar played together in 451 matches at Barcelona, scoring 363 goals and winning seven trophies in the process. The trio was widely recognized as ‘MSN’ among the football fraternity.
lionel messi ( argentina )
The main member of the MSN trio, Lionel Messi , became the top goal scorer for the Argentina football team way back in 2016, surpassing the legendary Gabriel Batistuta (56 goals). Lionel Messi now has 104 goals for the Argentina National Team. Lionel Messi is also the top goal scorer from the South American region, breaking the record of the legendary Pele (77 goals). However, Neymar Jr. has recently replaced Pele in the second place.
luis suarez ( Uruguay )
Another prominent member of the MSN trio, Luis Suarez, is also the top scorer for his national team, Uruguay. Suarez has scored 68 goals for the Uruguayan National team in 137 international matches. He broke the record of the 2010 World Cup Golden Ball winner, Diego Forlan (36 goals), back in 2013 in the match against Tahiti in the Confederations Cup. He is one of only two Uruguayan players to score 50+ international goals, along with Edinson Cavani (58 goals).
neymar jr. ( brazil )
The youngest member of the MSN trio, Neymar Jr., is the latest one to become the top scorer for his country. He scored his 78th and 79th goals against Bolivia, surpassing the legendary Pele, who had 77 goals for the Brazilian national team. Neymar is also the second-highest international goal scorer from the Conmebol region, second only to the seven-time Ballon d’Or champion, Lionel Messi.
