Ronaldinho: 'I knew Messi was great since he was 17 years old'

In a post on The Athletic today, Ronaldinho talks about his premonition 20 years ago about Lionel Messi - who just won his eighth Ballon d'Or in his career.

Ronaldinho carries Messi on his shoulders after his junior scored his first career goal against Albacete in La Liga on May 1, 2005. Photo: Diario Sport

In the summer of 2006, Barca toured the United States. Ronaldinho was the reigning Ballon d'Or winner, having just helped the Catalan club win the Champions League and La Liga under coach Frank Rijkaard. When visiting his close friend Kobe Bryant in the United States, Ronaldinho brought along a young boy.

"Who is this?" Bryant asked. Ronaldinho replied: "I'm introducing you to the person who will become the greatest soccer player of all time." At that time, Bryant thought Ronaldinho was joking, so he replied: "You, you are the best, who else?" But Ronaldinho waved his hand: "No. This kid will be the best."

The boy mentioned here is Lionel Messi.

At that time, Messi had been playing regularly for Barca's first team for more than a year and had just returned from the 2006 World Cup with the Argentina national team. But he was only 19 years old, many people knew he had potential, but no one had clearly explained how good he was. Only Ronaldinho had that hunch.

"Deco, I and the whole team followed Leo from the youth team, to watch Leo's matches," the Brazilian legend told The Athletic . "We believed Leo would be the best on the planet at this sport ."

And Ronaldinho was right. Messi just set a record with his eighth Ballon d'Or in his career. This success has an important contribution from Ronaldinho. They are friends, brothers. And to some extent, Ronaldinho has also been Messi's advisor throughout his career. And there is another thing that few people realize.

When Pep Guardiola took over as Barca coach in 2008, he ordered Ronaldinho to be sold because he feared the Brazilian would hamper Messi's development. This is true. But the impact was broader than just a purge of Ronaldinho. It was a time when Ronaldinho lacked the discipline of a player. His energy in training was low. He often went out at night and his loose lifestyle began to affect his performance on the pitch more quickly. Fellow Brazilian Edmilson once called him the "black sheep" in the Barca dressing room.

There was more than one black sheep. When Guardiola took over at Barca, he decided that Ronaldinho, Deco and Samuel Eto'o had to leave. The first two went to Milan and Chelsea respectively, while Eto'o stayed on for another year before moving to Inter. "It's time to refresh the dressing room," Guardiola said on his first day in charge.

In the book: "Barca: The Making of the World's Greatest Team" by author Graham Hunter, there is a passage that says: "Barca realized that a young, enthusiastic Messi could not be led by these lost seniors - people who treated him well, and whom he considered idols." But Ronaldinho denied the possibility of leading Messi on the path of partying. "That thought is silly," he replied when asked by a reporter from The Athletic .

And even their separation does not negate the important role Ronaldinho played in helping Messi at the dawn of his career. The Brazilian helped his Argentine junior in a kind and touching way during the early stages of their friendship.

Ronaldinho and Eto'o encouraged Messi after his junior was fouled in the Champions League. Photo: AFP

Messi was 16, and looked like a child. Ronaldinho’s accounts of youth team trips turned out to be accurate. “He was an alien,” Ludovic Giuly, a teammate of the pair at Barca, told Diario Sport . “He would eliminate us all.”

Henrik Larsson was also on the trip to see the youth team that day. The former Swedish striker told the BBC in a documentary about Messi to be aired ahead of the 2022 World Cup. "When I saw Ronaldinho, I believed I had seen the best player," the Swedish striker began. "Until that day when I met Messi."

Rijkaard, the then Barca coach, did not know much about Messi. He was intrigued when several first-team players and other coaches from the youth team and academy convinced him to give Messi a regular first-team place. He gave Messi his debut against Espanyol in October 2004 when the Argentine was 17.

But while his feet made noise on the field, Messi was quiet off it. Barca's team members at that time remembered two things about Messi at that time: he was clearly extremely talented, but off the field, he was very quiet, even mute.

Ronaldinho recognized both. He approached Messi, making the then-youngster feel at home and less shy. Ronaldinho always checked to make sure Messi was sitting next to him in the dressing room. He invited Messi to sit at the Brazilian table of his compatriots at Barca at dinner, joking that Messi was the only Argentinian eating there.

"I made my debut at the same age as Leo, so I know exactly how difficult it is to fit into a dressing room full of older players," Ronaldinho told Hunter. "So to take the pressure off Leo, I treat him like a younger brother, and we try to joke around to make him as comfortable as possible.

Genius recognizing genius. "At that time, Ronaldinho was the biggest star on the team," Larsson recalled. "So when Ronaldinho brought Messi into conversations, he felt respected."

But Ronaldinho was no exception. When Maxi Lopez first joined Barca, Ronaldinho took him aside and said: "Whenever you need anything, I'm here for you," Lopez told BBC . "He did the same with Leo. They were humble superstars."

Messi doesn't need complicated advice. "The only thing I told him was: Play with joy and freedom," Ronaldinho recalled. "Just play with the ball at your feet and everything will be fine."

Messi tries to do this. He once told Hunter: "I try to copy what Ronaldinho does, but in a simpler way, I just try to be as happy as possible. Look at the way he always smiles on the football field, that's what I always keep in mind. Playing football brings joy and happiness to me, and that's why I stick with it."

Ronaldinho and Messi in a training session with Barca. Photo: Times

Rijkaard gradually gave Messi more first-team football in the 2004-05 season. His first Champions League start came against Shakhtar Donetsk, but his Liga minutes were limited by injuries. When Barca hosted Albacete at Camp Nou on 1 May 2005, Messi replaced Eto'o in the 88th minute, with Ronaldinho seemingly spending his remaining time on the pitch trying to help Messi score.

As the clock ticked down to the 90th minute, Ronaldinho chipped the ball over the goalkeeper's head for Messi to send the crowd into a frenzy. But their celebrations were cut short as the linesman raised his flag for offside. Ronaldinho grinned.

Deco then passed the ball down the left wing, Messi controlled it with his head and exchanged passes with Ronaldinho. Another pass from his senior. This time Messi gently chipped the ball over the head of goalkeeper Raul Valbuena, and the linesman's flag was no longer raised.

Messi tried to run away to celebrate the goal in another direction, but then turned back to look for his senior. Ronaldinho ran up to him. Messi jumped on his back, as if the predecessor was introducing his successor to the crowd.

"It was always a special moment for me," Ronaldinho recalled. "Because that's when his career started. It was an honor to be part of this story. Everything seemed so natural, and I was pleased to see this young man, my friend, doing well and scoring his first goal."

Their relationship grew, like that of brothers. Ronaldinho showed Messi how the world worked. There was no one better than Ronaldinho: a great talent mentoring the next great football talent. He showed Messi what to expect from the best player on the planet: teammates, opponents, media and fans are all watching.

As for Messi, Ronaldinho always used the word "fate" to talk about their relationship. There was no pressure on Ronaldinho and no request for him to "keep an eye on this kid, he will be very good when he grows up". Ronaldinho protected Messi completely by instinct. They are two opposite personalities. Ronaldinho is extroverted and outside the framework where Messi's life takes place. Loving a girlfriend since the age of 21 and having a child at the age of 25 and being faithful until now - the way Messi grew up - was never the way Ronaldinho preferred.

Ronaldinho hugged Messi warmly when the two met again before PSG's match against RB Leipzig in the Champions League in October 2021. Photo: Instagram / ronaldinho

"But football brought us closer together," Ronaldinho explained. "We spent a lot of time together, travelling , playing games and becoming a family, enjoying and playing together. He sat next to me in the dressing room. Leo was always very reserved but we talked to each other, we were close and had fun until today."

Would Messi have become the greatest player without Ronaldinho? Maybe. But Ronaldinho was always the most important influence on the dawn of Messi's career. When Ronaldinho left Barca, the team belonged to Messi. The boy took over the man's position. Ronaldinho's mission ended.

"It's a great honor to see people around me achieving their goals in life," Ronaldinho said. "It really makes me happy."

Do Hieu (according to The Athletic )

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