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Former Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure has revealed that Ronaldinho constantly protected Lionel Messi from getting attacked by opposition players during their stint at Camp Nou. Toure added that La Blaugrana struggled whenever La Pulga was injured due to what he brings to the team.
Speaking in an interview with Rio Ferdinand, Toure revealed the names of the players who always protected Messi. He said (via Rio Ferdinand Presents on YouTube):
"Ronaldinho was always behind him [Messi], trying to protect him. When an opponent wanted to beat him up, he was always getting in there. Not only Ronaldinho, Eto'o as well. Even Thierry Henry did that for some time. Everyone was protecting him because we knew he was a talented player and knew he would come good for us.
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He added:
"Sometimes when he was injured, it was difficult for us. We used to give him the ball and it was already job done. We were happy to face opponents who pressed us higher because then we are in a one v one and we straightaway give the ball to Messi wherever he is. But when we played against teams who waited on us and stayed behind, it was a bit more difficult because we had to carry the ball forward to him."
La Pulga happens to be a player who was constantly fouled by opposition players due to his ability to uniquely dribble past defenders. The Argentine also proved to be a key figure in attack, having single-handedly won games and trophies for Barca. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner remains one of the best players to emerge from Barca's youth system.
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Lionel Messi remains Barca's top scorer since the inception of the club. In his stint at Camp Nou, La Pulga scored 672 goals in 778 games across all competitions.
The Argentine has also registered most assists in La Blaugrana's history (303 in 778 games). Regarding silverware, the 37-year-old remains one of Barca's most decorated players having won 35 trophies at Camp Nou.
This includes 10 La Liga, four UEFA Champions League titles among other prestigious individual and collective titles. After a successful career at Camp Nou, Messi left the Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021.
La Pulga is presently in the ranks of Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer together with former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets.
