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As a means of offering gratitude for his mentorship, Lionel Messi has sent a #10 Barca shirt, signed by him, to Ronaldinho. Messi is a No. 10 icon at Barcelona himself, having etched his mark into the club’s fabric and also for that matter, the world of football. It is clear though, that Messi has not forgotten the original star No. 10 who was in Barcelona when he joined their ranks.
A Barca TV programme, scheduled to be aired on Christmas, has been based on the 10-year anniversary of Barcelona’s 3-0 win over rivals Real Madrid. 10 years ago, that match earned worldwide notoriety because of Ronaldinho’s sterling display for Barcelona. The Brazilian turned in such a mesmerizing performance that he was given a standing ovation by the Madrid home fans in the Bernabeu. This present from Messi is related to the TV programme.
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Messi had arrived in the Camp Nou dressing room in 2004 as a callow 16 year old. He and Ronaldinho struck up an instant friendship in training which had a notable impact on the field the first time Messi and Ronaldinho played together. Messi’s first ever goal for Barcelona in La Liga came from an assist by Ronaldinho. A through ball from Ronaldinho found Messi, who adroitly chipped the ball over the head of the goalkeeper.
Ronaldinho left Camp Nou in 2008 but it seems that the friendship between Messi and Ronaldinho has not waned over the years; they are still in touch. Ronaldinho was delighted to have received the shirt from his former comrade Lionel Messi. He put up a picture on Instagram and tweeted:
"Received a signed shirt from my friend, teammate and great player Messi. Big hug, brother."
Ronaldinho had joined Barcelona in 2004 and also won the FIFA Player of the World award that same year. Talking about him then, his coach Frank Rijkaard had said,
"He transmits a lot of joy and pleasure playing the game, and he has individual skills that are of such a high level that everybody in the world adores him."
Ronaldinho is presently a free agent without a club, and while a return to Barcelona in a playing capacity is a pipe dream, the Brazilian knows that he is forever welcome back in the club.
