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Former Barcelona defender Juliano Belletti: Ronaldinho was better than Lionel Messi
The retired full-back believes that his compatriot outclassed the diminutive Argentine and says his Blaugrana squad topped that of Guardiola's current winning side
24-Jan-2012 9:17:00 AM
By Luis Mira
Getty Images
Former Barcelona defender Juliano Belletti thinks that Ronaldinho was better than Lionel Messi during his prime.
The Argentina international has emulated Michel Platini in winning the Ballon d'Or award three years in a row after helping Barca to win five trophies in 2011, including the Champions League and Fifa Club World Cup.
However, Belletti believes that Ronaldinho, currently on the books of Flamengo, surpassed Messi during his time at Camp Nou - based on the quality of the opponents.
"Ronaldinho had opponents which made his talent even bigger," he told Spor TV. "He played against [Zinedine] Zidane and [Luis] Figo.
"He gave me many titles. Messi has a lot more help in Barca's current team than Ronaldinho did.
"If I had to choose between Ronaldinho from that time and the current Messi, I would choose Ronaldinho."
The 31-year-old attacker left Barca for AC Milan in 2008 after helping the Catalan club to two La Liga trophies and one Champions League crown, among other titles.
Belletti, who represented Barca between 2004 and 2007, went on to declare that the team he was part of was better than Pep Guardiola's side.
"I give much more credit to the team in which I played," he noted. "Mainly because of the clubs we played against.
"We were playing against Madrid with Zidane, Ronaldo and Figo, Milan with Kaka and a Liverpool team who was in a great moment.
"We were playing with an established system, different from the current team. Now, you never know how they play.
"Sometimes, it seems they are using a 3-7 system, with three defenders and seven attackers."
The Argentina international has emulated Michel Platini in winning the Ballon d'Or award three years in a row after helping Barca to win five trophies in 2011, including the Champions League and Fifa Club World Cup.
However, Belletti believes that Ronaldinho, currently on the books of Flamengo, surpassed Messi during his time at Camp Nou - based on the quality of the opponents.
"Ronaldinho had opponents which made his talent even bigger," he told Spor TV. "He played against [Zinedine] Zidane and [Luis] Figo.
"He gave me many titles. Messi has a lot more help in Barca's current team than Ronaldinho did.
"If I had to choose between Ronaldinho from that time and the current Messi, I would choose Ronaldinho."
The 31-year-old attacker left Barca for AC Milan in 2008 after helping the Catalan club to two La Liga trophies and one Champions League crown, among other titles.
Belletti, who represented Barca between 2004 and 2007, went on to declare that the team he was part of was better than Pep Guardiola's side.
"I give much more credit to the team in which I played," he noted. "Mainly because of the clubs we played against.
"We were playing against Madrid with Zidane, Ronaldo and Figo, Milan with Kaka and a Liverpool team who was in a great moment.
"We were playing with an established system, different from the current team. Now, you never know how they play.
"Sometimes, it seems they are using a 3-7 system, with three defenders and seven attackers."
Starting in November and continuing through January, Goal.com is publishing exclusive extracts from Graham Hunter's highly-anticipated new book, 'Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World'. The latest extract takes a closer look at the exciting emergence of Fifa Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi at Camp Nou: Don't miss it!
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