"I never thought I'd see him in a shirt that wasn’t Barcelona’s” - Ronaldinho admits Lionel Messi's PSG move took him by surprise
Former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Ronaldinho has revealed that he never thought Lionel Messi's PSG move would come to fruition. The Argentine great sealed an unexpected move to the Parc des Princes after failing to agree a deal with Barcelona and has scored three goals for the club so far, with each of them coming in the UEFA Champions League.
In an interview with Le Parisien (quotes via Football Espana), Ronaldinho spoke about Messi's early days at Barcelona and his unexpected switch to PSG.
“When I arrived at Barcelona there was already talk of this fantastic young man, Messi. And then, when we trained together, I saw his quality. In each game and training session, we saw he was different. It was a pleasure watching him do it, and he became a true friend to me."
“I’m very happy to now see him at the club I started with in Europe, although it’s not something I thought would happen. I was sure he was going to finish his career at Barcelona. For me, it was a surprise. I like PSG, but it was a surprise because I never thought I would see him in a shirt that wasn’t Barcelona’s.”
Two football icons, two friends reunited...
Messi x Ronaldinho ❤️
#UCL https://t.co/wPzt3EeA7a
PSG duo of Messi and Neymar and very good friends, says Barcelona icon Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho is one of the greatest footballers of his generation and is highly regarded by all his peers. When asked about his relationship with Messi and Neymar, the Brazilian replied that the PSG duo are very good friends of his.
🔴🔵🔟 Two of Barcelona's iconic number 10s reunited in Paris tonight. In that famous shirt:
Ronaldinho (2003-2008) scored 94 goals in 207 games
Lionel Messi (2008-2021) scored 630 goals in 668 games https://t.co/xJVSms7zz7
"They’re friends, we play together. This isn’t a story about idolatry or fandom. It’s a story of friendship, and I’d even say that they’re very good friends. Whenever I have the opportunity to be with them, I take it, because it’s a very special moment.”
Messi's move from Barcelona happened due to unfortunate circumstances, but the Argentine has slowly moved on and made PSG his new home in the past two months. Neymar's presence is sure to have helped, with the pair set to share a close bond due to the time they spent together at Barcelona.
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