Abu Bakr is our master, our best, and the most beloved of us to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
حدثنا إبراهيم بن سعيد الجوهري حدثنا إسمعيل بن أبي أويس عن سليمان بن بلال عن هشام بن عروة عن أبيه عن عائشة
أبو بكر سيدنا وخيرنا وأحبنا إلى رسول الله ﷺ
Bukhari also narrated it in "The Merits of the Companions of the Prophet" ﷺ, in the chapter following the chapter on the saying of the Prophet ﷺ, "If I were to take a close friend," Hadith no. 3667, 3668, from Ismail bin Abu Uways, with the same wording.