Then it’s Messi’s turn and, well, you can guess what happens. Ronaldinho starts things off by demonstrating how to do one of his signature moves, a sort of rabona-elastico hybrid.Īttempting such a move would instantly see most of us fall flat on our faces, but for Ronaldinho, such things came naturally.Īs proof of how difficult the skill is, four of the La Masia youth team players – some of the most talented youngsters on the planet, let’s not forget – attempt it and fail miserably. In the footage below, Ronaldinho can be seen attempting to impart his samba football wisdom upon a group of La Masia hopefuls, which includes an adolescent Messi. Barca should always be grateful for everything he did.”įamously, Ronaldinho provided a beautiful assist for Messi’s first Barcelona goal in a competitive match, but it appears the buck-toothed Brazilian was having a positive impact on Messi’s development even before Messi made his senior bow. “Then the trophies started coming and he made all those people happy.

“In the first year, he didn’t win anything but people fell in love with him. It was a bad time and the change that came about with his arrival was amazing.” Messi idolised his more senior Brazilian team-mate, later saying: “Ronaldinho was responsible for the change in Barca. He made his senior competitive debut as a 17-year-old in 2004. He also won the Ballon d’Or for his personal collection in 2005.Īround that time, Messi was emerging into the first-team picture at Barca. Ronaldinho’s skill and inventiveness mesmerised Catalan crowds and he helped Barcelona to two La Liga titles, two Supercopas and the Champions League. The Brazil international arrived at Camp Nou from Paris Saint-Germain in 2003 and, at his peak, was doubtless the best player on the planet. When Lionel Messi was learning his trade in Barcelona’s La Masia academy, Ronaldinho was the first team’s star attraction and the most entertaining player in the world. Lionel Messi was always destined for GOATdom, but it certainly helped him to have football grandmasters like Ronaldinho to learn from in his formative years at Barcelona, as brilliant footage of the Brazilian teaching a teenage Messi how to do a rabona-elastico skill shows.

How to do a rabona