According to former defender Roberto Carlos, David Beckham is more complete than Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo De Lima and Luis Figo in Real Madrid’s superstar squad.
“Beckham is the best in Real Madrid’s first Galaxy,” Carlos said in John Obi Mikel’s podcast on November 28. “Zidane is very good, but Beckham is excellent in both training and playing. He always plays for his friends and for Real. He always thinks about the team, while others think more about themselves.”
Beckham was one of the members of the first “Galaxy” that President Florentino Perez worked hard to build, along with Raul Gonzalez, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo De Lima. But by the time the England midfielder left Man Utd for the Bernabeu in the summer of 2003, the stars had enjoyed every success, passed their peak and were beginning to decline. Zidane had won the World Cup, the Euros and the Champions League, while Ronaldo De Lima and Carlos had just won the 2002 World Cup. In four years at Real, Beckham had won just one La Liga and one Spanish Super Cup, far fewer than the 12 trophies he had won with the “Red Devils”.
Ronaldo De Lima, Roberto Carlos and David Beckham (right) celebrate a goal while playing for Real in 2005. Photo: EFE
After leaving Real in 2007, Beckham won one Ligue 1 with PSG and four titles with LA Galaxy. The former England midfielder is now co-owner and president of Inter Miami, a team valued at $1.2 billion by Forbes in 2025.
According to Carlos, Ronaldo De Lima is the best player of his generation. He believes that if he had not suffered so many injuries, the “Alien” could have won more than two World Cups and two Ballon d’Ors. Before the 1998 World Cup final, which Brazil lost 0-3 to France, Ronaldo De Lima suddenly had a seizure and lost his form.
However, Carlos also admitted that being satisfied with success and a tendency to like partying are two weaknesses that limit most of his fellow Brazilian players. “Ronaldo De Lima always liked to party. Ronaldinho only liked to have fun when he reached the top. He was bored with making people happy,” Carlos added.
All of Beckham’s goals at Real.
The former left-back is also happy that Carlo Ancelotti is now in charge of the Brazilian team. He believes the Italian coach has a big advantage in that he knows how to adapt to any team. “With Ancelotti, Brazil can have a great World Cup. When Neymar, Vinicius and Rodrygo are in good form, Brazil are a great team. But when they don’t have the ball, they often have big problems,” Carlos said.
Brazil have not won the World Cup since 2002, when Carlos, Ronaldo De Lima, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo brought them their fifth title. In the last five tournaments, Brazil have been eliminated in the quarter-finals four times. In 2014, they reached the semi-finals, but lost 1-7 at home to Germany.
Coach Ancelotti started leading Brazil in June 2025, after parting ways with Real. The Italian coach currently holds the record of winning five Champions Leagues with AC Milan and Real. He is also the only coach to have won national championships in all five of Europe’s top football leagues: Serie A with AC Milan, Premier League with Chelsea, Ligue 1 with PSG, Bundesliga with Bayern and La Liga with Real.