In the final stages at Barca, Ronaldinho became the club’s worry when he lured Messi into a nightlife lifestyle.
The Brazilian midfielder had 5 top seasons at Barcelona, winning 2 La Liga championships, 1 Champions League and the 2005 Golden Ball title. Ronaldinho’s superb football skills turned him into an immortal monument on the field. Camp Nou.
But off the field, Ronaldinho is not a shining example for his juniors. During his final seasons at Barcelona, Ronaldinho indulged in a nightlife and partying lifestyle. Barca’s board of directors’ patience gradually ran out when they saw the risk of young talent Messi being corrupted by Ronaldinho.
Barca is worried that Ronaldinho will have a negative influence on Messi
Xavier Sala-I-Martin, Barcelona’s treasurer from 2006-2010, revealed the time when Ronaldinho had a bad influence on Messi.
“Ronaldinho played the bongo (a type of hand drum popular in Latin America) until 2 am. Everyone knows that. Everyone had phones and recorded Ronaldinho drumming all night long,” Xavier said in the BBC documentary “Pep Guardiola: Chasing Perfection”.
“We had disciplinary problems with Ronaldinho. He’s old, in poor shape, and parties all day. What’s worrying is that Ronaldinho is trying to lure Messi into that spoiled lifestyle,” Xavier added.
Ronaldinho played bongo drums until morning
It was the laxity of the dressing room that contributed to coach Frank Rijkaard leaving at the end of the 2007/08 season. Pep Guardiola took over and opened a period of success for Barca in which Messi became the top star.
Meanwhile, Ronaldinho also left Barca to join Milan in the summer of 2008. Barca’s board of directors breathed a sigh of relief when they separated Messi from Ronaldinho and got rid of worries about the young Argentine player being lured into a playboy lifestyle by his seniors.