Messi: Ronaldinho helped me a lot when I started out

In the interview with FIFA, Messi praises the Barca youngest Ansu Fati, reviews the beginning of his career, and mentions the influence that Ronaldinho, other teammates and his coach at that moment brought to him.

We’ve seen some new faces at Barcelona at the start of the season, such as Ansu Fati. What do you make of the expectation he’s generating?

I really like him and I try to help and support him. He’s an amazing player and he’s got what it takes to succeed. But if I look at it through my eyes, I’d like them to bring him on gradually, like they did with me when I started, taking things nice and easy and without putting pressure on him. You have to remember that he’s only 16. I hope he keeps on enjoying it and that all the fuss around him doesn’t have a negative impact on him because he has the quality to become one of the best.

So now you can understand how Ronaldinho treated you when you started out.

Ronaldinho and [Frank] Rijkaard too, who was the coach back then. In fact, I’d say the whole team. Everyone helped me in one way or another, especially the coach when he left me out and I used to get annoyed (smiles). Now that I’m older I’ve come to understand that was the best thing for me and I’ll always be grateful to him for that. I’ve told him that too. The way he handled me was really important.