Ronaldinho discusses how FC Barcelona will replace club-record scorer Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho

FC Barcelona legend Ronaldinho Gaucho has revealed his opinion on how the LaLiga giants will replace their club-record goalscorer Lionel Messi after he eventually ends his illustrious playing career.

Ronaldinho essentially departed from Barcelona due to the emergence of the Argentina international, who was earmarked as the club’s next superstar after graduating from the La Masia academy.

While the Brazilian dazzled the Camp Nou during his five-year stay, many believed the two-time Ballon d’Or winners influence could never be matched.

However, Messi has since won five Ballon d’Or and 30 major titles over the past 14 seasons, which Ronaldinho duly cited in his opinion.

“We just have to cross our fingers and hope that someone comes along with half of his ability,” he told Yahoo Sports. “That would already be enough.

“I will never get tired of eulogising about Leo. He’s not just a great player; he’s a great person, a great human being. That’s the kind of thing we must never tire of praising.

“And when he gets on that field… well, then we could end up speaking for a whole year about Messi. He evolves with every game. Leo is a living legend and we must treat him with so much respect.” – kickoff.com