Ronaldinho believes Lionel Messi is nurturing Neymar in the way he did the Argentina superstar during his own formative years at Barcelona.
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi has shone alongside Brazil captain Neymar and Uruguay striker Luis Suarez in a dazzling three-man forward line at Barcelona over the previous two trophy-laden seasons.
"I believe so, that the attention and dedication that I had for Messi, he is doing the same for Neymar," Ronaldinho said.
"It is very important for an experienced player to show the way and share the journey with a young player and Messi is doing that.
"This is why Neymar is adapting and playing very well at Barcelona.
"Neymar is a talent and is a good friend. He is one of the top players in the world. It's very important to have experienced and young players to make a good team."
Messi announced his retirement from international in the aftermath of Argentina's penalty shootout loss against Chile in the final of Copa America Centenario - the Albiceleste's third defeat in a major final in the past three years.
Back in 2007, Messi was on the receiving end of a 3-0 loss against Brazil in the Copa America but Ronaldinho does not believe the lack of a major honour affects his standing in football's pantheon.
"Since Messi was young, I knew he would be an amazing player," he said. "As a person Messi is still the same and humble like when he started, but as a player he just keeps getting better.
"For me, this does not change anything - losing in four finals. He is still the best. If he really does leave [retire], it will be a loss for football, nothing else."
