Remembering when Ronaldinho introduced a 17-year-old Lionel Messi to Kobe Bryant

Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was a huge fan of football, particularly FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi. The legend, who passed away in a tragic helicopter crash, had met Messi when the latter was just 17 years old and was yet to emerge on to the scene.

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Lionel Messi was introduced to Kobe Bryant by Ronaldinho

In an interview, Kobe Bryant recalled the memories of his first meeting with Lionel Messi. Kobe revealed that he first met the then 17-year-old Barcelona teenager when the Catalan club were in Los Angeles. He further revealed that Ronaldinho was a good friend and it was the Brazilian who introduced Messi to Kobe. As per Kobe, Ronaldinho had then tipped Messi to become the greatest player of all time.

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Ronaldinho had tipped Lionel Messi to become the greatest footballer ever

However, Kobe Bryant did not like Ronaldinho’s excess praise of Lionel Messi. He replied by saying that Ronaldinho was the best. However, Ronaldinho was in no mood to agree to this argument. Just two weeks back, Kobe Bryant (while speaking to CNN) had commented on his love for LaLiga giants Barcelona and Messi.

Kobe Bryant was a huge fan of FC Barcelona

Kobe Bryant also spoke about the recent troubles at FC Barcelona due to a string of poor performances. He had stated that Barcelona were going through a transition period, courtesy of the recent sacking of manager Ernesto Valverde. However, he was confident of the team’s resurgence.

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Kobe Bryant death: Lionel Messi posted an emotional message on Instagram

Lionel Messi expressed his grief on the tragic death of Kobe Bryant on Instagram. Messi stated that he was short of words on his death. He further recollected the times when the duo met, describing them as pleasant moments. He also asserted that there were very few people like Kobe.

Gianna death: Kobe Bryant's daughter also dead

Nine people died in the chopper crash which included Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. The duo were on their way to participate in a game at the Mamba Academy where Gianna was set to play.

It is reported that efforts are on to retrieve the dead bodies from the crash site. However, the site’s location has made it difficult for the authorities to clear the debris quickly. 

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