Brazilian icon Ronaldinho once claimed that a current Premier League star would be the best player in the world by this point in his career, saying that they were the future heir to Lionel Messi’s throne.

The fun-loving Ballon d’Or winner was himself seen as the best player on the planet during the mid-2000s, dazzling his opponents and even earning a round of applause from Real Madrid fans despite helping Barcelona thrash Los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabeu.

While Ronaldinho was confident in his convictions about the then-teenager, history has since proven that his claims have fallen wide of the mark, as the player in question is not even a guaranteed starter at his club.

Ronaldinho Believed that Gabriel Jesus Would Be the Best in the World
The icon described his compatriot as fearless and a special player.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror in 2017, Ronaldinho gave his backing a then 19-year-old Gabriel Jesus to become the very best in the business after he had gone on a run of scoring five goals in six games for the national team. Giving his stamp of approval, the famous attacking midfielder stated:

“Manchester City have a very special player with Gabriel Jesus. Maybe even, in the future, the best player in the world. At the moment, it is Messi. I have always said I think one day it will be Neymar. But at 19, in the future, it can be Gabriel. He has all the abilities to make that happen.

“I don’t always agree that players should always be eased in – it depends on the type of player. You look at Gabriel Jesus and he has no fear at all. He just wants to play and show what he can do. He will put in big ­performances against Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and all the other top teams in England.”

At the time of Ronaldinho’s comments, Jesus had just arrived on the scene at the Etihad Stadium, having signed from Palmeiras that January. He had already scored three times in his first four appearances and would finish the campaign managing 12 goal contributions in 11 games across all competitions.

However, although he would find plenty of success when it came to trophies, Jesus would never show that efficiency at the Etihad again. After scoring over 20 goals in the following three seasons, his rate would drop over the next two before he was sold to Arsenal.

The move to North London provided excitement to the Gunners’ faithful at the time and also gave the striker an opportunity to break free from the shackles he was trapped in at City, as he had never quite been able to step out of Sergio Aguero’s shadow. Three years into the move, though, and Jesus hasn’t been the game-changer that many would have hoped.

Fitness issues and inconsistency have plagued his time at the Emirates Stadium and led many fans to claim that Mikel Arteta’s side still need a reliable number nine in order to challenge for the Premier League title, with Jesus not seen as the answer to that conundrum.