Barcelona and Brazilian legend Ronaldinho says that he would still support Lionel Messi even if he decided to leave Barcelona someday.
Lionel Messi has been the staple of FC Barcelona since his debut 14 years ago, today (November 16th, 2003 against Porto). He rose from the ranks of the academy to become the best footballer on the planet. Messi has a lot of incredible moments throughout the years and fans are hoping that it continues for the Blaugrana. In addition to that, he has performed well for Argentina especially when they needed him most.
Despite all of the great things the Argentine and Barca legend has done, there is always the chance (albiet slight) of him leaving the only club he’s ever known. The biggest stars in the history of the sport have left teams before. For example, Brazilian legend Ronaldo left Barca for Inter Milan and then left for Real Madrid. In addition to that, Messi’s biggest rival Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United for Real Madrid.
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Other legends like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho and David Beckham have changed teams. Most recently, Brazilian superstar Neymar decided to leave the Blaugrana for PSG this past summer. Overall, stars of football have always been changing teams even when things seemed really great for them with their former team.
Of course, fans of the Blaugrana want Messi to be a Barca player for the rest of his career. In the end, the decision is always going to be up to him because he has earned that right. Even if Messi did leave for another team, Ronaldinho would still be a fan of him. As every Barca fan knows, Ronaldinho was the star of Barcelona when Lionel Messi was just getting started. The Brazilian icon talked to Goal about how he would support Messi even if he left.
"“It’s difficult for me to say anything because he’s a close friend, and I will always be bound by friendship. If his heart indicates that he should go to another club and taking into account that I’m a Barcelona ambassador, I would support him. Although what I would like is that he stays at Barcelona. Wherever he plays he would make the difference.”Ronaldinho on Messi potentially leaving Barcelona"
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In the end, Messi has been important to the success of Barca for over a decade now. He has done everything a Barca player can do. From winning La Liga to Copa Del Rey to the Champions League, Messi deserves to be recognized as one of the greats. However, it would be weird to watch Messi in a jersey other than Barca. In the meantime, Barca returns to La Liga action against Leganes on the weekend.