Legendary Brazilian striker Ronaldo once named the one England player he believed could've played for the Canarinho during the same era that he did. The two-time Ballon d'Or winner was part of the most dominant Brazil sides to ever grace football, making it to consecutive World Cup finals and winning the tournament in 2002.
That very squad contained a whole host of some of the greatest players to have ever worn the famous yellow jersey, including Cafu, Ronaldinho, and Roberto Carlos. Yet, despite the star-studded talent in their ranks, Ronaldo admitted that one Englishman would’ve been able to stake a claim for a place in the team.
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Ronaldo Names David Beckham as Only Englishman Good Enough For Brazil
Beckham shared details of a conversation the pair had at Real Madrid
During a joint Instagram live in the early part of the pandemic, former Manchester United midfielder David Beckham retold a story of how Ronaldo told him that he was the only Englishman good enough to play for the Brazilian national team. Beckham and the famous number nine became teammates at Real Madrid in 2003 when the then Three Lions skipper swapped Old Trafford for the Santiago Bernabeu, and he revealed how the striker made him feel comfortable immediately:
"When I moved from Manchester [United], and I had been there my whole life, to move to Madrid was a big move for me. One of the first people that I ever saw was you. When you walked into the changing room, it made me feel comfortable to be at the club.
"I remember you turning around to me and saying that the Brazil squad believed that if there was any English player that could play in the Brazilian team, it would be me. But I never believed you, because Brazilian players are the best players! You know that."
In the same conversation, Ronaldo described Beckham as one of the best players ever due to his incredible long-range vision and thanked him for the several assists the former wideman provided for the finisher.
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The pair were two of the most famous Galacticos
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Beckham was one of several 'Galacticos' that found themselves at Madrid during this period, as Florentino Perez looked to sign several of the world's very best players to his club. Alongside Beckham and Ronaldo were other Ballon d'Or winners such as Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo, while there were also homegrown superstars like Raul and Iker Casillas.
Incredibly though, despite all that talent, the Englishman only ever lifted one major trophy during his time in the Spanish capital – that being the La Liga title in his final season at the club, when the original Galacticos were either no longer wearing the famous white jersey or were seeing their influence on the squad greatly diminish.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt - accurate as of 17/03/2025.