Ronaldinho: 'I would have loved to have played more with Messi'

Former Barcelona attacker Ronaldinho is often cited as one of the primary inspirations and mentors for his then-teammate Lionel Messi, with the Brazilian's seemingly endless bag of tricks and skills now passed on to the diminutive Argentine.

But Ronaldinho says the time spent playing alongside Messi was too short for his liking. As he moved from the club to AC Milan, Messi grew into the finest footballer around, and Ronaldinho says he wishes he could have been closer to see Messi's rise to the top.

"I would have loved to have played more with Messi," Ronaldinho told Gulf News as quoted by ESPN FC. "He's a great player and I'm very glad to have helped him at the beginning of his career with the assistance of his first goal.

"Having seen him go on to become such a great player, it would have been great to have played more with him, but at that time my period at Barca was over and it was time for me to move to achieve new things and set new objectives, so the time had come for me to leave."

Ronaldinho is now back at Barcelona as a club ambassador and hopes Messi continues to find success for both club and country, even as the 29-year-old endured a tough few years with Argentina.

"He demonstrates that he's the best every day," Ronaldinho said. "Week in, week out he keeps playing at such a level that demonstrates how good he really is, so there's no real need for him to show anymore at the World Cup. But as my friend I always wish him the best as I do all of my friends."