They were caught drinking mate from the same straw together once. Lionel Messi sits in the front seat even when Luis Suarez’ wife, Sofia Balbi, is in the car with them. Those two South Americans’ friendship is something that can even bring Sergio Ramos to tears, a mad Real Madrid defender who hit Messi in the face in the last El Clasico. And on the pitch, the way they gel together can leave thousands of Madrid fans in awe at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Blaugrana duo once exchanged passes with their chests then Messi brought the ball down to his left foot and scored. In his last assist to Messi, Suarez pulled off an insane blind backheel pass to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner in a crowd of Real Betis player on Saturday.

With that assist, the Uruguayan is now just one goal-pass away from equaling Dani Alves’ record of the most assists to Messi, which amounts to 42.

When did this unreal brotherhood on and off the field start?

The first time Messi and Suarez played in the same professional match was on October 11, 2008. They weren’t on the same team, though. It was a FIFA World Cup qualifier.

It didn’t take too long for Suarez to witness Messi’s greatness. The 31-year-old netted in the fifth minute. Argentina defeated Uruguay 2-1.

The next time they stepped foot on the same pitch for a professional game they were on the same team. The strikers were playing in the most anticipated club match in the world, El Clasico. Suarez had his first assist in a Blaugrana jersey just four minutes into the match but it wasn’t to Messi. The former Liverpool forward led Neymar to the goal.

The pair of attackers didn’t end their first match together on a winning note as Madrid won the encounter 3-1.

In the Catalonian club’s next match versus Celta Vigo, the two South Americans didn’t connect either, FCB lost again, 1-0. It was only two games but something was wrong. Both of them felt it. Suarez felt uneasy playing on the right wing so did Messi when playing in the middle.

“When we started off, I did not feel comfortable on the right and Leo didn’t feel as comfortable,” Suarez told the Daily Mail.

In their third game together against AFC Ajax, the Uruguayan found himself in Messi’s position, center forward, while the Rosario native was on the right flank. After the connection, when Suarez was making his way back to the right wing, Messi told him not to.

“We made two really good plays and when I was about to go back out wide, Leo said: ‘If you want, you can stay here,” the 32-year-old said via Tribuna.

They found what they needed to get things right in the middle of a match. After getting the consent of then head coach Luis Enrique, it was official: Messi would play on the right wing and Suarez in the middle. It was the beginning of what has blossomed into a glorious partnership both on and off the pitch.

This position swap proved to be successful in their very next match, an away game against UD Almeria. Enrique’s men were yet again in trouble as they were down 0-1 in the 70th minute against a club from the bottom half of the table. Three minutes later, Messi bolted with the ball down the right wing, passed it to Suarez in the box. The ex-Ajax player then squared the ball to Neymar, who buried it in the net.

It was the first time the MSN trio combined for a goal. But Messi and Suarez wouldn’t connect directly for a goal until their seventh game together.

It finally happened on December 7, 2014, at the Camp Nou in a match against their crosstown rivals Espanyol.

The Spanish giants were in need of a goal again as the score was 1-1 at halftime.

Five minutes after the restart, after beating an Espanyol player down the left flank, Neymar passed the ball to Suarez, who exploded down the line before hitting a square pass to Messi. The Rosario native skilled his way past a defender on top of the 18 then steered a shot to the bottom left corner of the net.

After scoring, Messi immediately ran toward Suarez to celebrate with him but Neymar got in the way and hugged him. While holding Neymar, Messi pointed at his Uruguayan friend and pushed his way to him. The three of them, the MSN, hugged each other.

Through ball after through ball, one-twos after one-twos, Messi and Suarez won three titles their first season playing alongside each other –the UEFA Champions League, La Liga, and the Copa del Rey.

Their mini talk during the match against Ajax wasn’t just the start of a magnifique duo on the field but also one of the best bromances in soccer.

“You know if you have a good relationship with them off the pitch it will be that way on the pitch too,” Suarez told the Daily Mail.

The two have gotten so close to each other that they visit each other’s home, their wives are friends, and they can talk about anything.

“We talk about everything really, we don’t only talk about football but we also talk about the past or the future because we are two human beings that besides playing football together, we are really good friends,” Suarez told Diario Sport.

“We share so many things together, there are times when our wives also spend time together and we have time to hang out by ourselves at my house or drink mate for two or three hours. But this comes down to something I always say. A lot of people look at him as Messi, but he will always be Leo for me because he is my friend.”

Suarez is currently nursing a sprained ankle so as for now perhaps he’s drinking mate with Messi at home. But when he does return on the field after April 1, you can bet that the Salto native will look to become the player who provided the most assists to his friend Leo.