R10 knew that the silent one and the only Argentine at the Brazilian table would be the greatest

There are those for whom neither Lionel Messi's world title nor the eighth Ballon d'Or of that inimitable Argentinian virtuoso meant anything, whose opinion about the best footballer of all time remained unwavering, cemented and who recognize other football deities like Maradona, Pele, R9 and Cristiano Ronaldo, even Ronaldinho. Because there are not a small number of those who, in a casual bar discussion, will tell you that no one played, or that no one played football like Ronaldinho during those few years in Barcelona. And that's fine and perfectly legitimate. Not everyone looks at football with the same eyes, not everyone experiences it with the same emotions.

But that same Ronaldinho knew, right at the time when he was playing the football of his life, at the time when in that legendary El Clasico in 2005 Real Madrid paid tribute and made the Santiago Bernabeu applaud him - he knew even before that... He knew that there was a teenager in Barça who would be bigger than him... The biggest.

R10 shared that knowledge with a great friend, also a legendary athlete. He used Barcelona's pre-season tour of the United States in 2006 to visit Kobe Bryant. Kobe recalled an interesting conversation he once had with Ronaldinho, who brought some company along.

"Ronaldino, my good friend, told me then 'I'm going to introduce you to a football player who will be the greatest of all time. I was surprised. What are you going to do? Well you're the best. 'No, no, this kid here is going to be the best. And that kid was Lionel Messi," one of the best basketball players of all time evoked memories.

He was 19 years old then, only thirty-odd appearances for Barça and not even a double-digit number of goals in the club's CV. Today he is the owner of eight Ballon d'Ors, four Champions League titles, almost all the most important records of Barcelona, for which he played 778 games and scored 672 and set up 303 goals!

Of course, Messi's talent was known at the beginning of the first decade of the 21st century. But who could have guaranteed that the Argentine would become what he became. Nevertheless, Ronaldinho's words confirmed the unwritten rule that 'game recognizes game'.

"Deco, me and the whole team have followed Leo since the younger categories, we watched his games," Ronaldinho told the respected British Athletic and continued: "We expected him to be the best."

And since Messi joined the dressing room of the first team in 2004, his football upbringing began under the lap of the Brazilian, Barca's alpha and omega, at that time one of the rulers of European and world football. Ronaldinho was Messi's older brother, role model, advisor, mentor, but in 2008, when Pep Guardiola inherited the Catalan club from Frank Rijkaard, R10 had to look for a new home.

Yes, you all know that well-established narrative about Brazilians who, in addition to football, take the winding roads of nightlife in Europe. Ronaldinho fit perfectly into that profile, Pep feared that the Brazilian's love for fun and a lifestyle often conflicted with sports would ruin the child prodigy. Because Ronaldinho was a figure that was unquestionably looked up to in the locker room, but even then his dedication to football significantly decreased. That's why, in the same transfer window, Ronaldinho and Deco were sent to AC Milan and Chelsea, and a year later, Samuel Eto'o - who went to Inter Milan.

"It's time to reboot the dressing room," Guardiola said on the first day after taking over at Barcelona.

In the book "The Making Of The Greatest Team in The World", Graham Hunter wrote the following: "Barcelona saw that this young, impressive Leo Messi would have to be a superhuman to resist all those older players who not only he admired, but who treated him like a family - for them not to drag him into the 'street'."

And Ronaldinho does not agree with that statement at all: "It doesn't make any sense," the Brazilian replied to Athletic journalist Nick Miller.

Whether Ronaldinho's influence would "corrupt" Messi, whether he would desecrate his gift from God, can only be speculated and debated. But we won't dwell too much on what the Brazilian didn't do for the boy from Rosario, but focus on everything that the ever-smiling virtuoso from Porto Alegre did from 2004 to 2008 to hand over 'his' Barca to Messi. To begin with, he was one of the biggest proponents to the cautious Frank Rijkaard, that Messi already at the tender age of 17 has a place among adults. And when he dribbled the ball in the first training session, even Barcelona's big names had something to see.

Henrik Larsson and Ludovic Guily became convinced of Ronaldinho's prophecy.

"He was an alien... He destroyed us all," the Frenchman recalled, while the Swede's jaw also dropped: "When I saw Ronaldinho, I thought he was the best footballer I would ever see. Until that day."

Messi made his Barca debut on October 16 against Espanyol. In the competitive 2004/05, the Argentinian got his chance on a spoonful, and the debut came on May 1, 2005, in the 34th round of Barca's championship season. There is some symbolism in the fact that it was Ronaldinho who set him up with the first of nearly 700 goals for the club!

Messi entered in the 88th minute against Albacete, and the Brazilian turned those last two minutes until the end of the 90th and the referee's compensation into a mission - to 'pack' a goal for Messi. The 18-year-old Argentinian was then defined by two things - exceptional talent followed by an almost silent regime. In translation, Messi was silent and rarely voiced himself. And Ronaldinho knew how to expose him, how to take the burden of Barça's star-studded dressing room off his shoulders. He immediately took a seat next to Messi, cracked jokes with him, invited him to sit with the Brazilians at dinner, claiming that Messi was the only Argentine who enjoyed that privilege. Of course, with a characteristic smile.

"I made my debut at a similar age and I know exactly how difficult it is when, as a talented kid, you have to make your own way through a dressing room full of adults. Well, in order to put pressure on him, I treated him like a younger brother, trying to joke as much as possible to make the environment completely natural for him," said Ronaldinho.

At that time, there was no player in Barça who knew better what it's like when the whole team looks at you, because it depends on you. And Ronaldinho knew that Messi would one day be the leader.

"At that time, Ronaldinho was in charge of the dressing room. Watching him, Leo understood what it takes to be in charge," Larsson said.

He carried his country to World Cup glory and secured Ballon d'Or number eight!

Let's go back to that first step on the journey of a thousand miles. On the debut against Albacete. The first attempt failed. That lob pass by Ronaldinho, then a lob shot by Messi. Offside. If there was VAR, maybe it would be a first. But this is how Messi's first goal for Barca became even more legendary. Because a few minutes later, the Brazilian-Argentine connection mirrored the previous action. Ronaldinho's ball over the defense again and Messi's ball over the goalkeeper again. Two touches by two masters, then Messi's euphoric run, but also a turn towards his older football brother and a celebration for all time.

"Whenever I remember that moment, I feel that it is special because that's when his career started. I had the opportunity to participate in the beginning of his story and it is wonderful. It was something completely natural and I felt pure joy watching that young lad, my friend, score his first goal. And luckily for me, the pass for the goal was mine. It always fills me with joy to know that that goal came from my foot. It's a memory I'll never forget."

The story of Messi until he became the Messi we know today is the story of the relationship between two diametrically opposed footballers. One was an extrovert, who used every moment of free time for fun, enjoyment of life and hedonism, and the other, for whom every moment separated from football exuded the normality of ordinary people, the routine of everyday life. And yet they remained great friends, connected by a talent whose secret few know. Ronaldinho was there at the right time, as an example, as someone who was necessary for such a magnificent talent, to hand Barcelona over to him. And again, as evidenced by Ronaldinho's words, from the first day their relationship was based on one motive - naturalness. Because since that inimitable left-footed talent joined the first team, Ronaldinho's spontaneity took the helm. No one told the Brazilian, "Watch out for that little guy. He's going to be a world football sensation. Help him grow up..."

Ronaldinho already knew.