‘Not Messi’—Barcelona Executive Names Greatest Teammate of All-Time | OneFootball

Despite playing alongside Lionel Messi for four years, former Barcelona wonderkid Bojan Krkic heralded Ronaldinho as the best teammate of his career.

Bojan, who now serves as Barcelona’s football coordinator, won 11 trophies during his time in Catalonia, including three La Liga and two Champions League titles. The La Masia product shared the pitch with the legendary Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi and more as Barcelona’s golden generation developed.

Still, in an interview with A Bola, Bojan lauded Ronaldinho as the standout player during his time with Barcelona.

“The best player I played with was probably Ronaldinho. I know it’s difficult, and almost unfair, to single out anyone, given that I shared the pitch with Messi, who played at the highest level for years,” Bojan told the Portuguese outlet.

“However, Ronaldinho, in my opinion, had it all. He was an incredible playmaker. Whenever he had the ball—whether during the game or when he was preparing to take a penalty—the whole team trusted him. He really was a true leader.”

They don’t come any better than Ronaldinho. / PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP via Getty Images

Bojan only played with Ronaldinho for two years before the Brazilian transferred to AC Milan in July 2008, but it was enough time to leave an impression. Ronaldinho found the back of the net 82 times in 174 appearances during his five-year stint with Barcelona, helping the club top Europe and Spain along the way.

Bojan’s time at Barcelona, meanwhile, never truly reached the heights once projected. The former winger scored 900 goals for Barcelona’s youth sides before making his first-team debut at 17 years old. The Spaniard struggled to meet the high, early expectations put on his career, though, and eventually transferred to Stoke City in July 2014. He was only 32 when he retired in March 2023.

Now, the 34-year-old is back at his boyhood club where he focuses on the next generation of Barcelona superstars at La Masia, where one recent graduate just happens to be among the best wingers in the world, Lamine Yamal.