Late basketball legend Kobe Bryant once revealed an interesting prediction made by Ronaldinho about a certain young soccer player. Bryant, who tragically lost his life in a helicopter crash back in 2020, was a close friend of Ronaldinho. However, Bryant’s anecdote was about none other than the seven-time Ballon d’Or-winner Lionel Messi.
Back in 2006, Kobe Bryant appeared in an interview where he talked about Lionel Messi’s rise in the soccer world. Bryant recalled how he was introduced to a young Messi by Ronaldinho when the world was yet to familiarize itself with Messi’s greatness. Bryant revealed how when FC Barcelona traveled to Los Angeles, he met the former FC Barcelona star Ronaldinho.
When Ronaldinho introduced Kobe Bryant to 17-year-old Lionel Messi 🐐 pic.twitter.com/EUG2fMGMdG
— Kobe Highlights & Motivation (@kobehighlight) December 9, 2022
He said, “Ronaldinho, who was a good friend, I was talking with him. He told me: ‘Kobe, look I’m going to introduce you to the guy who is going to be the greatest player of all time.” Ronaldinho’s words caught Bryant off-guard, who refused to believe that there was a player who was better than the Brazilian star. However, it was at that point when Ronaldinho introduced Bryant to Messi.
The former LA Lakers revealed that Ronaldinho believed that Lionel Messi, who was just 17 back then, was going to become the best soccer player in the world. Following that incident, Lionel Messi worked with Kobe Bryant on several commercials for Turkish Airlines. The Inter Miami star also wrote a heartfelt tribute on his social media platforms following Bryant’s death.
Kobe Bryant admitted that he was a huge soccer fan
Despite building a legendary career in basketball, Kobe Bryant was an avid soccer fan. The late American star has been spotted frequently at soccer stadiums, including at the FIFA 2014 World Cup. During an interview with FIFA, Bryant admitted his love for soccer. He said, “From the age of six to 14 I played soccer every day. It is actually my favorite sport.“
He further revealed in a previous interview how he started as a goalkeeper during his early days playing soccer. He later played as a midfielder as he developed his soccer skills over time. However, Bryant did admit that he wasn’t as gifted at soccer as he was at basketball.
In 2013, Kobe Bryant spoke about his love for AC Milan. The club will wear black armbands today in his honor.
(via @acmilan) pic.twitter.com/FlsYKG5PBw
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 28, 2020
He had also revealed that he was a huge AC Milan supporter, and was a fan of the Dutch legend Marco Van Basten. However, fortunately for basketball fans all over the world, Bryant left soccer for basketball once he moved to Philadelphia and the rest is history.