"Going to be the greatest player who ever lived" - When Ronaldinho introduced young Lionel Messi to late NBA legend Kobe Bryant

When Barcelona came to Los Angeles for a pre-season friendly in 2006, Ronaldinho famously introduced a young Lionel Messi to the basketball great Kobe Bryant. The late legend had taken the NBA by storm during that period, while Ronaldinho brought delightful Samba football to Barca.

In that period, Messi was still starting out in Barca's first team, where he was set to shine for nearly two decades. Bryant spoke about their meeting in an interview with ESPN back in 2017, explaining how he connected with Messi.

"I think Messi must have been 18 at the time, 17 maybe. Ronaldinho called him over and said, 'Kobe, I want you to meet the player who is going to be the greatest player who ever lived,'" Bryant said.

That introduction blossomed into a bond during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The two athletes were chasing gold in their respective sports when their paths crossed again at the Olympic Village cafeteria. Kobe Bryant opened up on that meeting, saying:

"At the Olympics, the cafeteria is always the best place to be because you have all the athletes from all the teams in one place."

"When we were in the cafeteria walking around, we saw him and his team sitting at one of the tables and I just walked up and sat down with him and kind of talked about the Olympics, the game a little bit. It was fun," he added.

Kobe Bryant was raised in Italy and had always had a soft spot for AC Milan, but over time his affections switched towards Barcelona as well. This is mainly due to his friendships with Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi.

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Lionel Messi headlines Barcelona's plan for 2026 return to Camp Nou

Barcelona are allegedly building the foundations for a sensational Lionel Messi return in 2026. As reported by journalist Maximiliano Grillo (via Football Espana), the Catalans have also opened the lines of communication with Messi’s camp. The plan is to get their legendary No. 10 back in the nick of time for the grand reopening of the newly revamped Camp Nou.

The plan depends on Messi remaining under contract with Inter Miami throughout 2026. Barcelona would not be able to pay a transfer fee and are therefore seeking to land him for nothing after his contract in the United States comes to an end. It is not likely that they will sign him though, as they have failed to do so in the past. However, they would like to have him available for the unveiling of Camp Nou.

It is not the first time Barcelona have tried to engineer a reunion. The club had previously looked at options before his move to Miami in 2023, but financial barriers quashed those hopes, and he left Europe. Lionel Messi is expected to partake in the FIFA World Cup in 2026, which will take place in North America.