Ronaldinho reveals what he did to Messi at Barcelona

Ronaldinho Gaucho has revealed how he played a role in the development of Lionel Messi at Barcelona.

Ronaldinho joined Barcelona in 2003 at the time when a young Messi was buidli g his career and working his way into the team.

Speaking to Paneka magazine, Ronaldinho revealed that he told manager Frank Rijkaard to bring the youngster onboard.

“When I arrived at Barcelona, there was already talk of a kid [Messi] who stood out.

“Then we were friends; we started playing together and we got on very well. He arrived being different to all the others, and we spoke with [Frank] Rijkaard so that he came to train with us – it was all very fast.

“I was lucky enough to give him the pass for his first goal.

“Over time, it’s very nice to see someone who starts out so close [to you] and then conquers the world.

“We were always very close. We learned things, he taught me Spanish and I taught him Portuguese, but with the ball we understood each other perfectly.

“I’d be left amazed by how calm he is. That’s something I love about him; he never gets into trouble, he’s always with his family and those closest to him.

“Leo has everything, he didn’t need anything from me,” Ronaldinho said.