“I would have liked to play more with Ronaldinho” - When Lionel Messi shared how Barcelona icon helped him loosen up

Modified Mar 27, 2025 10:29 GMT

Lionel Messi shared the pitch with Ronaldinho at Barcelona [Getty]

Lionel Messi revealed in 2019 that he would have liked to play more with Ronaldinho at Barcelona. La Pulga rose through the ranks at Camp Nou before breaking into the senior team in the 2004/05 season.

The Argentine earned his debut for the Catalans against Espanyol in October 2004, under then manager Frank Rijkaard. Lionel Messi scored his first senior goal for Barcelona on May 1, 2005, assisted by Ronaldinho.

The two shared great chemistry on the pitch, appearing 80 times together for the LaLiga giants and contributing eight goals together.

Speaking in 2019 to TyC Sports, La Pulga revealed how the Brazilian helped him settle with the senior team.

"Ronaldinho helped me a lot. I came into the dressing room at 16-17 years of age, seeing all those footballing giants made it tough," said Messi.

He continued:

"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."

Ronaldinho amassed 94 goals and 69 assists from 207 games for Barcelona. The Brazilian left the Catalans in 2008, passing the baton to Lionel Messi and moving on to AC Milan.

Will Lionel Messi return to Barcelona in 2026?

Barcelona are planning to take Lionel Messi to Camp Nou after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to journalist Maximiliano Grillo. The Argentine superstar's contract with Inter Miami expires at the end of this year, so a move this summer is quite unlikely.

However, the Catalans are reportedly planning to re-sign him in the summer of 2026, just in time for the inauguration of the new Camp Nou. La Pulga is expected to stay at the Herons this season, and could even extend his stay for an additional year in preparation for the World Cup.

The grand event in the US, Mexico, and Canada is expected to be Messi's swansong with Argentina. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner will have the chance to defend the crown and add more stars to his already glorious career.

However, his future beyond the World Cup remains in doubt. However, Inter Miami could try to hold on to their star until the end of next year, which could disrupt the Catalans' plans.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written over 8500 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5Million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava