Ronaldinho Talks Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United and More

Brazilian legend Ronaldinho has spoken of how he and his team-mates convinced Barcelona to promote a young Lionel Messi to the first team, and he insists the Argentina wizard is better than perennial rival Cristiano Ronaldo because he has "magic."

Marca quotes the controversial former Barca star reminiscing about his time at the Camp Nou and his memories of a burgeoning Messi:

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It was the players who asked [Frank] Rijkaard to promote Messi to first-team training. Cristiano Ronaldo is a very complete player, but Messi is better because he has magic.

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Ronaldinho also spoke about his collapsed move to Manchester United, which was broken by Barca's sudden interest in his signature.

He confirms he had one foot inside Old Trafford before a last-minute approach from the Catalan giants turned his head, per Marca:

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Everything happened very quickly. A good friend of mine who was running to be on the Barcelona board, Sandro Rosell, had asked me if I'd play for Barcelona when they won the election and I told him that I would.

I was on the brink of joining Manchester United, there were just a few details to iron out, but Rosell called me at the last minute to tell me that they were going to win the election. That made everything happen very fast.

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History cannot dictate that Ronaldinho made the wrong choice by moving to Spain over the Premier League. After all, Barcelona had huge success with the Brazilian as their flair leader, winning two consecutive La Liga crowns and the Champions League.

The 34-year-old also spoke about his motivation to play for the Blaugrana at the time, citing the team's former Brazil contingent as a major motivation for wanting to wear the shirt of the famous club:

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I was going to have the chance to follow in my idols' footsteps. I was proud to play where Romario, Ronaldo and Rivaldo had done. I was lucky enough to become the new Barcelona 'R' which I really loved.

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Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Messi was just a boy during Ronaldinho's time at the Catalan club, but he will have learned so much from watching the superstar dance across the pitch at home and abroad.

The Argentine confirmed Ronaldinho's influence on him, speaking last year to Barcelona's official website. He said that pressure was indeed on him as a 16-year-old, but that the Brazil icon helped him handle the challenge at hand.

"It's never easy to go into a changing room at the age of 16 especially with my character," he said. "Ronaldinho was the star of the team and he really helped me a lot."

Ronaldinho's opinion of Messi being superior to CR7 was also recently reflected by Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

The stopper was quoted by BeIN Sports' Tancredi Palmeri speaking to FIFA about the upcoming Ballon d'Or, saying Messi is still the "overall" better talent when compared to the Portugal international:

PETROS GIANNAKOURIS/Associated Press

Ronaldinho's words on United are bound to frustrate many Old Trafford fans who were preparing for the player's arrival in 2003.

However, with the Brazilian off to the Camp Nou, United went out and signed a fresh and exciting teenager in Cristiano Ronaldo instead.

The battle between Ronaldo and Messi for world domination will always be remembered and documented in the decades to come, with both players setting the kind of standards that no fan thought possible.

Their ability to score in almost every match they have played during their rivalry in La Liga is the stuff of legends, and future stars will find it hard to emulate them.

Ronaldinho was himself a special talent who burned bright and fast, but he could have achieved so much more if he had the discipline of CR7 and the kid he helped on the road to superstardom.