I wanted to play with him — Ronaldinho reveals he begged Barcelona to sign Chelsea legend

Ronaldinho Gaucho is one of football's greatest ever players, and a talent like none other.

He won individual honours and collective trophies with Brazil and Barcelona, cementing his status as one of the all-time greats.

One player who earned Ronaldinho's admiration during his playing days is Chelsea legend Frank Lampard.

The English midfielder was in his prime around the same time as Ronaldinho, and his impressive form even earned him a Ballon d'Or nomination in 2005. The Brazilian ultimately took home the award that year, but he still recognized Lampard's exceptional talent.

In fact, Ronaldinho was so impressed with Lampard that he tried to convince his former club, Barcelona, to sign him.

"I told Frank Rijkaard that we should sign him, but he didn't want to leave Chelsea," Ronaldinho recalled.

"I am sure they would not have let him go, at that time he was one of the greats in Europe."

Ronaldinho was particularly impressed by Lampard's goal-scoring record from midfield, a rare and valuable asset for any team.

Lampard went on to achieve great success with Chelsea, winning Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2012, before departing the club in 2015 as their all-time leading scorer.