"Beckham was the best in Real's original Galacticos era," Carlos stated on John Obi Mikel's podcast on 28/11. "Zidane was very good, but Beckham excelled in both training and matches. He always played for his teammates and for Real. He always thought about the team, while others thought more about themselves."

Beckham was one of the members of the "Galacticos" era meticulously assembled by President Florentino Perez, alongside Raul Gonzalez, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, and Ronaldo De Lima. However, by the time the English midfielder left Man Utd for the Bernabeu in the summer of 2003, the star-studded squad had already enjoyed success, passed their peak, and begun to decline. At that point, Zidane had already won the World Cup, Euro, and Champions League, while Ronaldo De Lima and Carlos had just won the 2002 World Cup. In his 4 years at Real, Beckham only secured one La Liga title and one Spanish Super Cup, significantly fewer than the 12 titles he won with the "Red Devils".

Ronaldo De Lima, Roberto Carlos, and David Beckham (right) celebrating a goal while playing for Real in 2005. Photo: EFE

After leaving Real in 2007, Beckham won one Ligue 1 title with PSG and 4 titles with LA Galaxy. The former English midfielder is currently co-owner and chairman of Inter Miami, a club valued at 1,2 billion USD on the Forbes 2025 rankings.

According to Carlos, Ronaldo De Lima was the best player of his generation. He believes that if "The Phenomenon" had not suffered so many injuries, he could have won more than two World Cups and two Ballons d'Or. Before the 1998 World Cup final, which Brazil lost 0-3 to France, Ronaldo De Lima unexpectedly suffered a seizure and his form declined.

However, Carlos also acknowledged that complacency with success and a tendency to party were two weaknesses that limited most of his Brazilian compatriots. "Ronaldo De Lima always loved to party. Ronaldinho even only enjoyed himself once he had reached his peak. He grew tired of making everyone happy," Carlos added.

The former left-back also expressed delight that Carlo Ancelotti is currently managing the Brazil national team. He believes the Italian coach's major advantage is his ability to adapt to any team. "With Ancelotti, Brazil could have a great World Cup. When Neymar, Vinicius, and Rodrygo are in top form, Brazil is a great team. But when they don't have the ball, they often face major problems," Carlos said.

Brazil has not won the World Cup since 2002, when Carlos, Ronaldo De Lima, Ronaldinho, and Rivaldo brought home their fifth championship. In the last 5 tournaments, Brazil has been eliminated 4 times in the quarterfinals. In 2014, they reached the semifinals but lost 1-7 to Germany on home soil.

Coach Ancelotti is set to take charge of Brazil from 6/2025, after parting ways with Real. The Italian coach currently holds the record for winning 5 Champions League titles with AC Milan and Real. He is also the only coach to have won national championships in all 5 of Europe's top leagues: Serie A with AC Milan, Premier League with Chelsea, Ligue 1 with PSG, Bundesliga with Bayern, and La Liga with Real.

Thanh Quy (according to podcast)