David Beckham has unveiled his dream 5-a-side team composed of players he had the privilege of sharing the pitch with—and surprisingly, only one of his Manchester United teammates made the incredible lineup, as he revealed everything during one of Rio Ferdinand’s recent podcast episodes. At 49, and now co-owner of MLS side Inter Miami, the iconic former England international can reflect on a remarkable 21-year career spent at some of the globe’s most prestigious clubs, including United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain.
Each chapter of his journey was filled with unforgettable moments and legendary teammates, with the celebrity-like midfielder having won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, a Champions League, among a plethora of other pieces of silverware. But it’s intriguing to see which stars made the final cut in his ultimate team selection, as the teammates he shared a dressing room with, in some cases, were even better than him. Rio Ferdinand called it the ‘greatest five-a-side team ever assembled’, and he could well be right.
Paolo Maldini
Teams Beckham played alongside him at: AC Milan
A short stint at AC Milan meant Beckham was able to share the same dressing room as the unflinching, and unquestionably magnificent Paolo Maldini, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest centre-backs of all time. The Italian maestro made defending appear effortless, turning it into an art form while winning five European Cups and seven Serie A titles across 25 years in Italy’s northern hub.
AC Milan’s most dominant period during Maldini’s career came under Carlo Ancelotti in the early 2000s, as the club reclaimed its status as a European powerhouse. This resurgence was largely attributed to Maldini’s exceptional leadership and defensive intelligence, and while Beckham didn’t taste silverware at all during his time in Milan, his skipper still left a mark and got into his five-a-side team.
Roberto Carlos
Teams Beckham played alongside him at: Real Madrid
Powerful left-back by trade, a world-class footballer that would never settle for being sidelined by nature. Roberto Carlos is one of few names in defence that could be heard echoed around school playing fields as the Brazilian packed a wand of a left foot, scoring and assisting goals for fun during his time at Real Madrid.
Beckham played alongside Carlos – better known as the ‘Lord and Master of the Left Wing’, along with ‘Bullet Man’ – on 135 occasions, as the two were constants in Fabio Capello’s 2006/07 La Liga winning side, and with the Englishman claiming Carlos could ‘play in defence of attack’, the question was not about whether he would make the final cut, but rather where on the pitch he would slot in.
Zinedine Zidane
Teams Beckham played alongside him at: Real Madrid
Being a Ballon d’Or winner in the same year he won the World Cup with France already speaks volumes as to just how good Zinedine Zidane was in his prime. From his number 10 position, he used to dance defenders into a daze, and he became a template attacking midfielder for anyone who followed. But if that wasn’t enough to explain why he made it into Beckham’s five-a-side team, then let him wax lyrical, too.
“He’s not just one of the greatest players that I’ve ever played with, one of the hardest trainers, and also just cool,” Beckham said on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast. “He’s just cool, you know, without trying. You play him a ball anywhere on the pitch, any height, any level, any speed, he’d bring it down like it was just one of those things that he does.
People literally used to turn up at the Bernabeu to watch him just control a ball. Because it was like watching a ballerina, just the way he plays is so elegant. Everything about him, he’s elegant.”
Roy Keane
Teams Beckham played alongside him at: Manchester United
Alongside the Frenchman, Beckham needed someone to steady the ship and do the dirty work in the middle of the park. Calling on the services of his most successful Manchester United captain, Roy Keane, wasn’t a bad shout to do just that. The duo played 260 times together, winning six league titles, two FA Cups, and an infamous Champions League which saw the Red Devils become the first English club to win a treble in the 1998/99 season.
“You need a leader and you need someone that’s going to actually tackle and fight and be the player that he is, so I’m gonna have to say Keaney,” Beckham said.
“He took no day off, and I don’t mean in the physical sense of having a day off. I mean, every single day that he stepped on that training pitch, he wanted to win. He inspired us every single day because he came in with that mentality and we all knew that that’s what we have to cope with.
“That’s why Keaney was who he was because he was a winner and he was hungry and he always wanted to win.”
Ronaldo
Teams Beckham played alongside him at: Real Madrid
Unsurprisingly, Beckham went on to name Ronaldo Nazario as his striker before reminiscing about one of their first training sessions together. “I think when you watch Ronnie play back in the day, I mean, he’s electrifying on every level,” he said.
“One of our first training sessions was in Korea, I think, or China, I’m not sure where we were at the time. And the ball had just been played across to him and all he had to do was put it in the goal. And as he’s played across to him, I’m trying to defend it. So I’ve slid across and as I’m sliding across, I thought he was just gonna play it first time into the goal, and as I’m sliding across he just puts his foot on the ball, and as I’m sliding past he just watches me like that with the biggest smile on his face and he just taps it in and I was like oh god! Wow!
As one of the greatest players of all time, rivalling the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the top spot, selections don’t come any easier than his.