Helping Hands: The top 5 footballing influences on Leo Messi’s glittering yet unfulfilled career

3) Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho was Messi’s mentor during his early days in the Barca first team.

Quite simply one the footballers in his day, you’d be hard pressed to find another sportsperson as entertaining as Ronaldinho Gaucho even if you searched the history books for as far back as they date. Barcelona’s superstar in the Rijkaard era and the architect of some of the most spectacular football the world has ever seen, it was Ronaldinho who persuaded Rijkaard to promote the raw and unheralded Messi into the Barcelona first team. Messi and Ronaldinho shared a great rapport, something that greatly helped Messi’s transition into the first team. In fact, Ronaldinho called Messi “little brother” passing on to the little one all the worldly wisdom in his possession.

Gaucho’s popularity in the Blaugrana dressing room also helped young Leo stand toe to toe with some of the most eminent footballers of their time. Messi for his part never forgot his mentor’s contributions and to this day acknowledges the part that Ronaldinho played in helping shape one of the most amazing footballing careers of all time. It is perhaps absolutely justified then that more than 11 years ago now, Gaucho assisted 17-year-old Leo Messi for his first ever goal in a Barcelona shirt, an outrageous chip over the goalkeeper. No less than 452 goals have followed since then.