Chelsea Transfer News: Ronaldinho Reveals He Told Barcelona to Get Frank Lampard

Ronaldinho played in some fantastic Barcelona teams with some great players. Stars such as Samuel Eto'o, Lionel Messi and Deco all helped him reach his peak as a player.

But the outrageously talented Brazilian felt like one star was missing from those teams that swept all before them. He apparently lobbied the Catalan club to sign then-Chelsea midfield general Frank Lampard.

Metro writer Jon Harvey has details of Ronaldinho's claim, made while he included Lampard in his all-time UEFA Champions League 11:

"

I told Frank Rijkaard that we (Barcelona) should sign him, but he didn’t want to leave Chelsea.

I am sure they would not have let him go, at that time he was one of the greats in Europe. His goal record from midfield was what really impressed me.

"

Ronaldinho is likely right. At the time Frank Rijkaard was still in charge at Barca, Lampard was the free-scoring linchpin of Jose Mourinho's first Chelsea teams. It was a period of rich success for both Ronaldinho and Lampard.

DANIEL MAURER/Associated Press

The Brazilian beat the star he wished was on his team to the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2005. Lampard's place as runner-up confirmed his growing status at the top level.

There had been hints of the greatness to come during the 2003/04 season. But Lampard exploded following Mourinho's arrival.

While his exploits in front of goal rightly always command respect, the Blues legend rarely receives enough credit for his all-round game.

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A classy passer and underrated technician, Lampard combined hard running, drive and tenacity with creative verve. Yet while his qualities were so typically a part of England's Premier League, it's easy to doubt whether Spain's La Liga would have perfectly suited Lampard's buccaneering style.

The game in the Spanish top flight is often more measured, more methodical. Midfielders are generally afforded more space, something that slows games down but also increases the expectation on players in the middle to use the ball creatively and show quality in possession.

Of course, guessing at Lampard's success in this environment is purely that—guesswork. There's no doubt that based on how he played when Ronaldinho made his plea, every top club in the game would have gladly made room for Chelsea's one-time talisman.