Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi has revealed which player he would have loved to have played with for longer at Spanish giants FC Barcelona.
After breaking into Bacra’s first team in the 2004/05 season, the young Argentine formed a close bond with playmaker Ronaldinho, who was widely considered the best player in the world at the time.
They did not spend too much time together on the field, however, as the Brazilian was sold upon Pep Guardiola’s arrival as manager in 2008.
Many thought Ronaldinho was a negative influence on Messi, a teenager at the time, but the 32-year-old only had words of praise for the 2002 FIFA World Cup winner during a recent interview.
“Ronaldinho helped me a lot,” he told TyC Sports.
“I came into the dressing room at 16-17 years of age, seeing all those footballing giants made it tough.
“But he mentored me and made me feel comfortable, and I loosened up. Afterwards, on the pitch, I always looked for him, but we didn’t have many years to enjoy together.
“Besides, we didn’t play as much at that time. I would have liked to play more with Ronaldinho.”
Upon winning his Ballon d’Or in 2005, Ronaldinho famously claimed he was not even the best player at Barcelona, implying that Messi held that status in football, despite the Argentine still being far from the player he is today.
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