Lionel Messi has revealed how Brazilian legend Ronaldinho and other senior Barcelona players helped him overcome his nerves when he joined the club’s first team at the age of 16.

The Inter Miami forward said he struggled to settle into the dressing room because of his shy personality and the presence of established stars, including Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, Xavi and Carles Puyol.

Speaking to students in Oviedo on Thursday ahead of receiving the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner recalled how his teammates encouraged him to ignore their reputations and focus on enjoying football.

Lionel Messi said: “I had to walk into a first-division dressing room packed with stars when I was just 16. I was nervous.

“I had people like Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, Xavi, Carles Puyol and many others around me.

“It was difficult for me because of my personality. I’m shy and I found it hard to come out of my shell.”

The Argentine said the senior players advised him to concentrate on football rather than feel intimidated by the people around him.

“What they told me was to forget about everything, forget the context and just enjoy myself and do what I had been doing all my life since I was a kid, without thinking about who was next to me,” he said.

“They told me to do what I loved doing and what I enjoyed.”

Ronaldinho, who played alongside Messi during the early stages of his Barcelona career, reportedly recognised the teenager’s potential during their first training sessions.

According to Guillem Balague’s book Messi, the Brazilian contacted journalist Cristina Cubero after training with the youngster and declared: “I’ve just finished training with someone who is going to be better than me.”

Messi went on to become Barcelona’s all-time leading goalscorer, winning four Champions League titles and 10 La Liga championships before leaving the club in 2021.

The 38-year-old also reflected on the importance of accepting defeat, saying footballers must learn to handle disappointment because losing is an inevitable part of the sport.

Drawing on Argentina’s defeat to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final and his experiences in the Champions League, Messi said players should take satisfaction in their commitment and effort, regardless of the outcome.

“You may or may not achieve your goal, but you have to be satisfied knowing that you gave it your all and that you can feel complete beyond the final result,” he said.

“The most important thing is knowing how to lose. Knowing how to win, too, because there are a lot of people who don’t know how to win.

“But knowing how to lose is fundamental in this sport because you lose far more often than you win.

“You shouldn’t get used to losing, but you do have to understand that you can lose, and you have to accept it.”

Messi’s comments come after he led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title in Qatar, following the country’s Copa América triumph in 2021.

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