Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland named in best XI of the weekend from top 5 European leagues

Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland have headlined Marca's best XI from Europe's top five leagues from last weekend's action.

Both Messi and Haaland played key roles in their respective clubs' wins. PSG were far from their best, but La Pulga scored the opener and then set up Sergio Ramos to guide them to a 2-0 win away to OGC Nice in Ligue 1. With the victory, the Parisians maintained their six-point lead atop the standings.

Ramos also notably made Marca's XI, occupying one of the centre-back spots.

Haaland, meanwhile, scored a brace, including an incredible acrobatic effort, to guide City to a thumping 4-1 win over Southampton at St. Mary's Stadium. The win, combined with Arsenal's 2-2 draw with Liverpool, means the Cityzens are now six points away from top spot in the Premier League with a game in hand.

Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli also made the team following a stellar display at Anfield. The Brazilian scored the opening goal in the fifth minute before setting up compatriot Gabriel Jesus close to the half-hour mark to put the Gunners 2-0 up. However, an admirable rally from Liverpool saw the the game end in a draw.

Rounding off the four-man frontline was Villarreal forward Samuel Chukwueze. The Nigerian scored once in each half, including an 80th-minute winner, to give the Yellow Submarine a massive 3-2 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The result helped Villarreal climb up to fifth in the La Liga standings. They are now just four points behind fourth-placed Real Sociedad with 10 matches to play.

Marca's best XI from the weekend's action in the top five European leagues boasted a midfield of Luis Alberto and Scott McTominay. Alberto recorded an assist as S.S. Lazio beat Juventus 2-1 in Serie A over the weekend, while McTominay's goal helped Manchester United defeat Everton 2-0 in the Premier League.

Shoring up the defense of the team were Raphael Guerreiro, Matthijs de Ligt, Ramos and Giovanni di Lorenzo. Guerreiro assisted Borussia Dortmund's opener in their 2-1 Bundesliga win over Union Berlin, while Di Lorenzo scored for S.S.C. Napoli in their 2-1 victory over Lecce in Serie A.

De Ligt, meanwhile, scored a stunner from distance to help Bayern Munich defeat Freiburg 1-0. The Bavarians remain two points clear of Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga standings.

Lastly, Marca chose Salernitana goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa to man the posts. The Mexican made 10 saves to help his side draw 1-1 with Inter Milan in Serie A and move seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Marca's best XI from the weekend action in Europe's top five leagues: Guillermo Ochoa; Raphael Guerreiro, Matthijs de Ligt, Sergio Ramos, Giovanni di Lorenzo; Luis Alberto, Scott McTominay; Gabriel Martinelli, Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi, Samuel Chukwueze.

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Pep Guardiola recently compared Erling Haaland with Lionel Messi

Pep Guardiola is the only manager to have coached both Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi. Given the Norwegian's incredible rise and stunning 2022-23 season with Manchester City, comparisons with Messi have seemed inevitable.

Guardiola recently weighed in on where Haaland stands in comparison to La Pulga and Cristiano Ronaldo. He said (as quoted by 90min):

“In terms of the thesis of scoring goals. He's quite similar in terms of Cristiano but Messi is the more complete player. Messi can play wherever while Cristano and Erling are machines.

“Football is a better place for Cristano and Messi for what they have done for our business, the traction of these two guys competing at the big clubs. Erling is arriving in the toughest league in the world. I can talk as I've been in other leagues and doing what he has done is remarkable.”

With his brace over the weekend, Haaland is up to 44 goals in 38 matches across all competitions for City this season. Messi, meanwhile, has recorded 19 goals and 18 assists in 34 matches for PSG in the ongoing campaign.