Ronaldo Nazario selects his greatest XI ever – includes Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Pele but not Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo Nazario will always be remembered as one of the greatest players in football history. The Brazilian was a lethal striker that scored over 350 goals in a club career that saw him play for the likes of Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. Ronaldo also played 98 times for his country, scoring 68 goals and helping to two World Cup triumphs. ‘R9’ enjoyed some extraordinary success, and he would have achieved even more had he not suffered from two serious knee injuries while at Inter.
His iconic image and reputation within the game will never be questioned, and the two-time Ballon d’Or winner was recently tasked with selecting an XI of the greatest players of all-time. Who better qualified to select such a team than the legendary Brazilian? We take a look at the XI he picked below, with it being interesting to see whether the 47-year-old included himself in the side or if he stepped aside to allow a different striker in.
His all time greatest XI includes:
GK: Gianluigi Buffon
The Italian legend has only just retired from professional football in August 2023, after a long and successful 28-year career in the game. His most notable spell was with Juventus where he played from 2001 to 2018, and then again from 2019 to 2021. Keeping a remarkable 429 clean sheets across his ludicrous 925 appearances for all his clubs and the Italian national side, it is easy to see why Ronaldo has opted for the former Parma man ahead of others to potentially find themselves in the conversation.
RB: Cafu
The Brazilian started going through his defence by caveating: “It’s a very offensive team, Cafu will be on the right, free to go up all the time.” An international teammate of Ronaldo for World Cup wins in both 1994 and 2002, it was almost a straight forward decision as Ronaldo knows better than anyone just how good Cafu was. The full-back formed part of one of the greatest defences ever under Carlo Ancelotti at AC Milan, and was just as capable going forward as he was defending his own goal.
The best part of his career was spent in Italy as he also had spells with Juventus and Roma before joining AC Milan and winning Serie A during his first campaign at the San Siro. Cafu was also a big part of the side to win the 2007 Champions League final against Liverpool before retiring the following year at the age of 38.
CB: Paolo Maldini
Another big player for AC Milan was the versatile defender, Maldini, who is a player Ronaldo played against many times across his career. The Italian was a constant in his club’s back line during his incredible 25-year career that he called time on in 2009.
An incredible five European Cup successes and seven Serie A titles are present within the honours list of the former Italian defender. He was unfortunately not part of the Italy squad that won the World Cup in 2006, but came incredibly close to achieving this feat in both 1994 and 1990, with second and third place finishes respectively.
Now 55 years old, Maldini didn’t hang up his boots until he had entered his 40s while being capable of playing both centre-back and left-back to a greater level than almost any defender ever to grace a football pitch. It is the centre-back role that he will fill in R9’s XI.
CB: Franz Beckenbauer
The first player to make it into the XI that had retired before Ronaldo had even played a professional game is the German defender. All that can be said is good luck to any attacker trying to get past Beckenbauer and Maldini, and it is perhaps a good thing for the world of football that this is only a dream team and not reality. Ex-Bayern Munich star, Beckenbauer, had everything in his game which is shown by his incredible achievement of being a defender with two Ballon d’Or wins to his name.
It is clear that he had a strong mind for the game as the German went on to have a 12-year managerial career after retiring in the early 80s, having won several league titles across his time in the sport.
LB: Roberto Carlos
Carlos is the second Brazilian selected for this line-up, along with his full-back partner Cafu. The former Real Madrid defender is still very fondly thought of by fans as well as people within the game. An attacking force from defence, he was almost ahead of his time and would slot perfectly into the modern game with full-backs growing in importance.
Many young players coming through the ranks in this position will surely use Carlos as an example of how to play the position to perfection. Oh, he also wasn’t too bad at set pieces.
CM: Diego Maradona
The late, great Argentine is a likely fixture in any player’s all-time XI. Maradona unfortunately passed away in November 2020 at the age of 60, but the legacy of the former Napoli man will live on forever within the game. The Italian club has even named their stadium after the Argentinian icon, meaning he will never be forgotten.
The skill he possessed was never seen before until another magical little Argentinian appeared on the scene decades later. Two Serie A titles and a World Cup triumph in 1986 are the biggest achievements in Maradona’s career, but these honours don’t even tell half the story of the ability he showed throughout his career.
CM: Zico
It is no surprise that Ronaldo opted for several Brazilians in his all-time XI, with Zico being the next such player. Partnering Maradona in midfield, it is safe to say defending is unlikely to be on the agenda for this fantasy side. The attacking midfielder spent the majority of his career in his home country with Flamengo, and was a star for his national team during this period although remarkably has no World Cup winners medals to his name.
48 goals in 71 international appearances is an excellent record for a striker, never mind a midfield player. Zico is a player that is looked back on as an underrated part of an iconic Brazilian line-up in the 70s.
RW: Lionel Messi
Just imagine what a team featuring both Messi and Maradona could do. Opposition players would be unable to cope with the pure technical ability and the silky dribbling that would be on display. Messi is the only player in the XI that is currently still playing following his move to Inter Miami in the summer transfer window.
The Argentine sensation has won a record seven Ballon d’Or titles and has just added a World Cup to his extensive trophy collection at the end of 2022. With over 800 career goals to his name, he is largely seen as the greatest player to have ever graced a football pitch.
LW: Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho is a former teammate of Ronaldo with the duo both being part of the 2002 World Cup winning side. The former Barcelona man had a long and successful career with clubs such as PSG, AC Milan and Flamengo alongside the Catalan giants.
This means he was also in the same side as Messi for a short period of time, meaning there will be plenty of chemistry among the attacking players in this side. The XI crafted by R9 is full of Ballon d’Or winners and the 43-year-old is no exception to that rule.
CF: Pele
For a certain generation, Pele is still regarded as the best player to have ever lived alongside Maradona. Being from Brazil it is unlikely to be any different for Ronaldo, who picked the legend of the game to play just in behind the striker, whoever that may be….
Pele’s official goal record states that the forward incredibly scored more than 1,000 goals during his career which is a number still unmatched by anyone today. Unfortunately, the icon passed away in December 2022 with the whole footballing world going into mourning for the tragic loss of one of the greats.
ST: Ronaldo Nazario
Ronaldo had to include himself up top and, to [quote]be honest, you wouldn’t argue against him. It does mean that one notable exclusion is made from the XI, but no one would have guessed that R9 would leave himself out in the favour of anyone else. The Brazilian is seen as one of the greatest strikers of all-time by fans and fellow professionals, and perhaps the most technically gifted.
Ronaldo played for the biggest teams in both Italy and Spain during spells with AC Milan, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Barcelona. With all the talent playing in behind him for this XI, it is safe to say he wouldn’t be short on goals.