A sudden drop in form
Xavi has shared his thoughts on the sudden decline of his former Barca team-mate Ronaldinho. The Brazilian icon suffered a noticeable drop in his performance levels shortly after winning the Ballon d'Or in 2005.
While many fans and pundits have long blamed the forward's love for late-night partying, Xavi believes there was a different catalyst. The Spaniard feels that Ronaldinho simply lost his competitive edge.
Having secured both domestic and European glory in Catalonia, the attacker struggled to maintain his motivation. The former midfielder believes this is a psychological trap many elite athletes eventually fall into.
Mindset over late nights
Speaking in an interview with Prakhar Gupta, Xavi explained that Ronaldinho felt he had already completed club football. Once the major individual and team trophies were secured, his daily drive began to fade.
"Well, I think it was a mentality issue," Xavi noted. "Ronaldinho won absolutely everything: LaLiga and the Champions League with Barca, and the Ballon d'Or. And then, he probably thought, alright, I've done it all."
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Comparing the great attackers
To highlight his point, Xavi compared Ronaldinho's mindset to the relentless drive of Lionel Messi. The Argentine forward famously spent nearly two decades operating at the absolute peak of the sport.
"If you compare him, for example, with Leo Messi, Ronaldinho was like... I've already done my job," Xavi added. "And Messi wanted more. He kept going and going. That's because of mentality, not because of the parties."
Xavi also drew parallels with Neymar's career trajectory after the winger traded Barca for Paris Saint-Germain. He said: "It also happened to 'Ney'. He had a great period at Barcelona, where we won a Champions League and then he signed with PSG. In this case, I also think it was down to mentality."
Sustaining excellence at the top
Xavi concluded his assessment by praising the unparalleled longevity of both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He noted that players who fail to realise their motivation is dropping will never remain the same force on the pitch.
"When you don't understand that your mentality is declining, dropping right down, and you aren't the same player," he concluded. "The same thing didn't happen, for example, with Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi, who are like beasts."