Lionel Messi has revealed how Brazilian legend Ronaldinho and other senior Barcelona players helped him overcome his nervousness when he joined the club’s first team at the age of 16.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner said the presence of established stars initially intimidated him because of his naturally shy personality, despite the talent that would eventually make him one of football’s greatest players.
Speaking to students in Oviedo on Thursday ahead of receiving the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports, the Inter Miami forward recalled his early experiences in Barcelona’s dressing room.
“I had to walk into a first-division dressing room packed with stars when I was just 16. I was nervous.
“I had people like Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, Xavi, Carlos Puyol and many others around me.
“It was difficult for me because of my personality. I’m shy and I found it hard to come out of my shell,” Messi said, according to GB News on Friday.
The Argentine explained that his senior teammates encouraged him to ignore their reputations and concentrate on playing the game he had loved since childhood.
“What they told me was to forget about everything, forget the context and just enjoy myself and do what I had been doing all my life since I was a kid, without thinking about who was next to me.
“They told me to do what I loved doing and what I enjoyed,” he said.
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Ronaldinho, who was among Barcelona’s established stars when Messi joined the first team, reportedly recognised the teenager’s exceptional potential from their early training sessions.
According to Guillem Balague’s book Messi, the Brazilian called journalist Cristina Cubero after training with the youngster and declared: “I’ve just finished training with someone who is going to be better than me.”
Messi went on to become Barcelona’s record goalscorer, winning four UEFA Champions League titles and 10 La Liga championships during his time at the Spanish club, alongside numerous individual honours.
The Argentine also reflected on the importance of accepting defeat, saying footballers must learn to handle disappointment because losing is an inevitable part of the sport.
Drawing on difficult experiences, including Argentina’s defeat in the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil and unsuccessful Champions League campaigns, Messi said players should take satisfaction from their effort and commitment regardless of the final outcome.
“You may or may not achieve your goal, but you have to be satisfied knowing that you gave it your all and that you can feel complete beyond the final result,” he said.
He stressed that learning how to lose was just as important as knowing how to celebrate victory.
“The most important thing is knowing how to lose. Knowing how to win, too, because there are a lot of people who don’t know how to win.
“But knowing how to lose is fundamental in this sport because you lose far more often than you win.
“You shouldn’t get used to losing, but you do have to understand that you can lose, and you have to accept it.”
Messi continues his career with Inter Miami in the United States after achieving one of his biggest ambitions by winning the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar in 2022.
Before that triumph, he helped Argentina end their long wait for a major international trophy by winning the 2021 Copa América, before leading the country to its third World Cup title the following year.
His experiences at Barcelona and with Argentina, he suggested, have reinforced the importance of enjoying football, remaining committed and learning to deal with setbacks throughout a career.
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