“Messi must have been 18 at the time” - When Kobe Bryant revealed Ronaldinho’s incredible prediction about Lionel Messi

Back in 2017, late NBA legend Kobe Bryant revealed Ronaldinho’s prediction about how Lionel Messi would become ‘the greatest player who ever lived.’ Bryant, who was a staunch Barcelona supporter, spoke about how he met Messi in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and formed a relationship with the Argentine icon.

Messi came through the ranks at Barcelona and went on to become not only a club legend but also arguably the greatest player to play the sport. The 38-year-old has won numerous individual accolades and is currently the most decorated player in football history.

Long before Lionel Messi rose to worldwide prominence, Kobe Bryant was in Los Angeles during Barcelona’s visit for a friendly match. Bryant met with the team through Nike and had a brief conversation with Ronaldo.

“I think Messi must have been 18 at the time, 17 maybe. Ronaldinho called him over and said, ‘Kobe, I want you to meet the player who is going to be the greatest player who ever lived,” Kobe recalled during an interview with ESPN FC via telephone. “At the Olympics, the cafeteria is always the best place to be because you have all the athletes from all the teams in one place. When we were in the cafeteria walking around, we saw him and his team sitting at one of the tables, and I just walked up and sat down with him and kind of talked about the Olympics, the game a little bit. It was fun,” he added.

After Messi was promoted to Barcelona’s senior team, Ronaldinho was among the senior players who aided Messi’s development and helped him integrate into the team.

“We already expected that he would be the best” – When Ronaldinho reflected on Lionel Messi’s rise

While Lionel Messi came into the Barcelona senior team as a teenager, Ronaldinho and his fellow senior players knew he would one day be the best footballer in the world. Interestingly, it was Ronaldinho who helped Messi score the first goal for Barcelona in a match against Albacete in 2005, moments after he had seen a similar goal ruled out for offside.

“Me, Deco and the whole team had been following Leo since the youth team, going to watch his games,” Ronaldinho told The Athletic. “We already expected that he would be the best.”

While Ronaldinho has since retired from the sport, Messi plies his trade with Inter Miami in the MLS. The pair featured alongside each other 80 times and combined for eight goals.

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide