The biggest reason Messi is so good is that besides his talent, he's also a very good professional. He went to the US league, but he plays at a very high level in football.
Despite being 38 years old, he continues to break all the records.
It's also worth mentioning that if Ronaldinho hadn't retired from football at such a young age, Messi might not be as popular as he is today.
Messi is breaking records, but watching Ronaldinho is a completely different pleasure. He was at a unique level.
Ronaldinho's retirement has nothing to do with Messi's success. I am confused who told you that because it is not true. What's true is that Ronaldinho publicly said that the moment they saw Messi at the training session for the first time, everyone agreed that this kid is not normal and will have an extraordinary career. That sounds like quite the opposite of what you are saying. Messi had his place in the team no matter who his competitors were. He played with the best of the best and as soon as he had some experience in La Liga, he never really got taken off the field for substitution. He became untouchable in no time and now the question is still there why you think that Ronaldinho's retirement had an impact on Messi's career.
It doesn't matter because Ronaldinho played as a left winger at times while Messi could play a variable offensive position. He starts as a right winger, but when you watch him playing precisely, you will realize that he changes position very often throughout any match. He would have prevailed in any team on the planet no matter who his teammates or competitors would have been.
