Ronaldinho was subjected to “a lot of jokes” about Lionel Messi after seeing a player “touched by God” rise through Barcelona’s ranks to replace him.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Argentine made senior debut in 2004Has gone on to become an all-time greatTeam-mates spotted his potential earlyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Some 20 years ago, back in October 2004, Messi made his competitive debut for the Blaugrana. Few could have predicted what was to come at that point, with the Argentine playmaker going on to become Barca’s all-time leading goalscorer and the most decorated performer of all-time.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Messi has eight Ballons d’Or and a World Cup triumph to his name, standing among the immortals with a remarkable career taking him from humble beginnings to the very top of the global game – eclipsing the efforts of several other superstars along the way.

WHAT DECO SAID

Former Barca team-mate Deco, who was replaced by Messi when the South American made his senior bow, has told of seeing a torch passed on at Camp Nou: "There are players who are touched by God and you see this from the beginning. It’s something different. We made a lot of jokes with Ronnie [Ronaldinho]. We told him that he would be Barca’s number 10 and that we would be watching him from the outside. We knew that he had the capacity to be something very big, but imagining everything he would do was impossible."

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

Deco – who also played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo for the Portugal national team – added on Messi breaking the mould: "Technically, Ronaldinho is the best player I’ve ever seen. In the ability to compete and generate danger, however, I have never seen one like Messi. It is something that cannot be explained. It’s something different, which doesn’t happen many times."