This is the record Messi and Suarez are competing for in Argentina vs Uruguay

For 6 years Barcelona enjoyed a top level attacking duo: Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. The latter arrived at the club in 2014 and quickly became friends with the Argentine forward. And that chemistry was also transferred to the field, as together they formed a phenomenal duo and conquered Europe with their goals.

Between 2014 and 2020, Leo and Lucho scored almost 400 goals for Los Blaugranas. Messi shone with 280 goals and Suarez was not far behind, with 198. And during some of those years they also coincided with Neymar Junior, forming the famous 'MSN' that led the team to the 2015 Champions League title.

But besides being great friends and having shared a lot of time together in Barcelona, Messi and Suarez are also rivals in South America. For more than a decade, both have been stars of their respective national teams, Argentina and Uruguay, and have faced each other on many occasions.

Thursday's match is a new chapter in that history and both are vying not only to win, but to beat the other in an impressive record. They are the top scorers in the history of the South American qualifiers. Luis held the top spot until this year, but Lionel overtook him with his goals against Ecuador and Peru. Now the Argentine forward is number 1 with 31, while the Uruguayan is second with 29.

They will soon meet again

Luis Suarez left Barcelona in 2020 and his partnership with Lionel Messi came to an end. But reports indicate that they will soon be reunited. Once the Uruguayan striker finishes his contract with Gremio of Brazil, in December 2023, he will become a free agent and will be able to decide where to continue his professional career. And at Inter Miami they are waiting for him with open arms. There he will once again be a teammate of Leo, but also of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.