5 former Barcelona superstars who enjoyed a great connection with Lionel Messi on the pitch

Lionel Messi has shared the dressing room with many fantastic superstars at Barcelona

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is regarded by many as the greatest footballer of all time - thanks to his incredible abilities that fetched him 5 Ballon d'Or awards, 5 European Golden Shoes, 4 UEFA Champions League trophies, 9 LaLiga titles, 6 Copa Del Rey triumphs as well as many other honours within the space of 14 years.

Having spent all his years as a professional footballer representing FC Barcelona, many superstars had the opportunity to share the dressing room with him at the Nou Camp.

While most of these players enjoyed their time playing in the same team with the diminutive Argentine winning plenty of trophies as well as witnessing a lot of magical moments, only a few of them were really able to establish an enviable relationship with the playmaker on the football field.

From incredible defenders to fantastic midfielders and down to amazing forwards, we take a look at the top 5 ex-Barcelona superstars who enjoyed a perfect connection with the playmaker on the pitch during their time at Camp Nou.

#5. Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho was his mentor at the early stages of his career

As an upcoming talent, Messi needed the support of a mature and established player to help him reach his potential quickly and he got enough of that from Brazilian legend Ronaldinho, who was at the heart of events at Barcelona during the early stages of Leo's career.

The ex-Barcelona midfielder played a huge role in Messi's development, welcoming the Argentine into the squad following his promotion to the first team in 2004 and making him feel comfortable in the dressing room.

During their time together at the Nou Camp, Ronaldinho was a huge mentor, guiding the young attacker on the pitch and providing the necessary support in order to get the best out of him. He provided the assist for Messi to score his first Barcelona goal during a game against Albacete on May 1, 2005, and the Argentine has gone further to score over 500 goals for the Catalan giants so far.

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