Ronaldinho was one of the finest players of his generation, if not of all time. The Brazilian icon is regarded among the most naturally gifted stars to have ever taken to the hallowed turf. As a result, any compliments received from the ex-Barcelona ace are always welcomed with open arms by his peers, past and present.
Representing clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and AC Milan during his long and storied career, Ronaldinho carved out his image as a trailblazer in the European game. He inspired an entire generation of South American players looking to break into Europe at the highest level, with his outrageous skill and technical capacity, capturing the imagination.
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The wonderful playmaker reached the pinnacle of the sport in 2005, when he beat English duo Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard to the coveted Ballon d'Or award. His performances in the yellow and blue of Brazil and Barcelona's blue and red stripes were enough to see Ronaldinho crowned the best in the business across an entire year.
Ronaldinho Wanted Frank Lampard at Barcelona
'I told Frank Rijkaard that we (Barcelona) should sign him'
Lampard, like Ronaldinho, was at the peak of his powers during the 2000s. The Chelsea icon was regularly hitting double-figure goals and spearheading the west London outfit's surge towards the top of the European game.
Those contributions didn't go unnoticed by others in the sport either, as the man who just pipped him to the post in the 2005 Ballon d'Or standings was keen on linking up with the Englishman at club level. Ronaldinho named Lampard in his 'Dream' Champions League XI, and pointed out that he tried to convince Barcelona to bring him to Camp Nou:
"I told Frank Rijkaard that we (Barcelona) should sign him, but he didn't want to leave Chelsea.
"I am sure they would not have let him go, at that time he was one of the greats in Europe. His goal record from midfield was what really impressed me."
It's not the first time he's sung the praises of his peer, either, as the Brazilian great was once quoted by Sky Sports as saying: "He's a great player, and he has shown that at Chelsea. Obviously, I would like to have him at Barcelona, the same way that I would like any great player there."
That sentiment was echoed by Frank Rijkaard, who was the Barcelona manager at the time. The Dutchman said:
"I won't go into it personally, but what Ronaldinho says makes sense and everybody would say that. But it is just a remark being made about a good player like Lampard.
"I don't want to enter into details because tomorrow we will have it all over the papers that we are working on Lampard, and that is not true."
Lampard: Ronaldinho Was 'From a Different Planet'
The feeling was mutual between the pair
While Ronaldinho admitted it would have been almost impossible to prise Lampard away from Stamford Bridge, that doesn't mean the England international didn't have immense respect for Barcelona and their star player.
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After hanging up his boots in 2017, the former Chelsea hero waxed lyrical about Ronaldinho, whom he faced many times in the Champions League. Lampard claimed the attack-minded superstar was 'from a different planet', as he told the Chelsea matchday programme (per GOAL):
"The [Barcelona] team after his were known as the better ones, when Messi really came through, but Ronaldinho could do impossible things with the ball.
"I’d never seen a player like that. It was my early knockings in the Champions League, and seeing him play was like, 'Wow, this player is from a different planet to the rest of us.'"