Former FC Barcelona superstar Ronaldinho, who provided the assist for Lionel Messi's first-ever goal for the Catalan giants, has explained what he loves about the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.
When the then young Argentine came through at the Catalan club, Brazilian icon Ronaldinho was the undoubted star of the senior team, and took the starlet under his wing.
In a recent interview, the ex-Selecao international went into detail about his relationship with the six-time Ballon d'Or winner, explaining that what he enjoys most about the 32-year-old is his quiet and humble personality.
"Then we were friends; we started playing together and got on very well. He arrived being different to all the others, and we spoke with (then Barca manager 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 was sold by the Blaugrana in 2008 by manager Pep Guardiola, who was believed to feel the Brazilian was starting to negatively influence the young Argentine wonderkid with his off-field behaviour.
Messi inherited the Brazilian's No. 10 jersey, and has since surpassed all of his achievements at the Spanish giants.
