Argentine forward Lionel Messi has revealed how Ronaldinho and Barcelona‘s senior stars helped him overcome his nerves as a teenager.

He said they both advised him to ignore the pressure of sharing a dressing room with football stars and focus on enjoying the game.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner entered Frank Rijkaard’s first-team environment at 16,  and struggled to settle into the environment because of his naturally shy personality.

Speaking to students in Oviedo on Thursday, ahead of receiving the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports, Messi explained how their encouragement helped him settle.

The Inter Miami forward admitted his naturally reserved personality made those early experiences particularly challenging.

“I had to walk into a first-division dressing room packed with stars when I was just 16. I was nervous,” he admitted.

“I had people like Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, Xavi, Carlos 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.

“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.

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

While Messi was struggling with his nerves, his celebrated colleagues were already recognising the ability that would eventually make him a superstar.

According to Guillem Balague’s book Messi, Ronaldinho telephoned journalist Cristina Cubero after the youngster’s first training session with a prediction.

“I’ve just finished training with someone who is going to be better than me,” the Brazilian reportedly said.

The Argentine also reflected on the importance of accepting defeat, saying footballers must learn to deal with disappointment because losses are an inevitable part of the sport.

Drawing on painful experiences in major competitions, including Argentina’s defeat in the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil and unsuccessful Champions League campaigns, Messi said players should judge themselves by their effort and commitment rather than results alone.

“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.”

New Telegraph recalls that Messi, 39, marked his international farewell in Argentina by scoring in a 3-0 victory over Benin.

Messi will continue his career with Inter Miami in the United States, having already won the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar in 2022.

The forward has also enjoyed a decorated international career, ending Argentina’s long wait for a major trophy with victory at the 2021 Copa América before leading the country to its third World Cup title.

His Barcelona career, meanwhile, saw him win four Champions League titles and 10 La Liga championships, alongside numerous individual awards.