Gerard Deulofeu has hailed Brazilian legend Ronaldinho as the best player of all time ahead of former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi.
The 26-year-old Spanish forward had the opportunity to play alongside Messi when he was at Barcelona and branded him an "incredible person."
But Deulofeu left Barcelona in 2015 and has since had loans at Everton, Sevilla, AC Milan, Watford and Udinese.
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The Spain international does consider Ronaldinho as the GOAT ahead of Messi, despite the Argentine being widely revered as one of the best players of all time.
"For me, Ronaldinho is the best player ever," Deulofeu told Spanish newspaper Marca.
"I met him. I went to watch a game at the Camp Nou and he was sitting next to me. It was a wonderful experience."
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Ronaldinho, 40, is often considered as one of the best players to have ever taken to the pitch after a glittering career for club and country.
The Brazilian superstar, who announced his retirement from football in 2018, spent five years at the Camp Nou and even played alongside Messi.
Messi has praised the influence of Ronaldinho at Barcelona, saying the World Cup winner was "responsible for the change in Barca."
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The 33-year-old Argentine explained: "Ronaldinho was responsible for the change in Barca. It was a bad time and the change that came about with his arrival was amazing.
"In the first year, he didn't win anything but people fell in love with him.
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"Then the trophies started coming and he made all those people happy. Barca should always be grateful for everything he did."
Ronaldinho has since revealed that he was "amazed by how calm" Messi is and how he "didn't need anything from me."
The former Barcelona star said: "I'd be left amazed by how calm he is.
"That's something I love about him; he never gets into trouble. He's always with his family and those closest to him. Leo has everything. He didn't need anything from me."
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