Brazil legend Ronaldo snubs Zidane, Figo, Beckham and Rivaldo and picks former Aston Villa star as best-ever teammate
Ex-Villa man saw career come to abrupt tragic end
BRAZIL legend Ronaldo Nazario has snubbed a host of superstar pals by picking a former Aston Villa star as his best-ever teammate.
Ronaldo, 48, is arguably the greatest No9 in history after starring for some of football’s top sides.
A two-time Ballon d’Or winner, he banged in goals for Barcelona, Real Madrid and both Milan clubs while winning a host of trophies.
Ronaldo also led Brazil to TWO World Cups and is now owner of LaLiga side Real Valladolid.
As a result of his incredible career, the former hitman has played alongside some of the best in the business.
Ronaldo got to link up with fellow superstars like Romario, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho at international level.
While club life saw him play alongside icons including Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and David Beckham.
However, Ronaldo feels that another unsung hero trumped them all.
Before playing at Barcelona, Real Madrid and the Milan clubs, Ronaldo’s first spell in Europe saw him turn out for Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven.
He continued his fine form from first club Cruzeiro by netting 54 goals in 57 matches while also winning the Dutch Cup.
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And it was at PSV that Ronaldo struck up a strike partnership with former Belgium star Luc Nilis.
The pair linked up superbly on the pitch for two years before Ronaldo was snapped up by Barca.
Nilis went on to net 133 goals in 212 games across six seasons for PSV, winning two titles in the process.
His career came to an abrupt end in 2000 after just five matches for Aston Villa when he suffered a complicated leg break that almost required amputation.
But despite not being as glamorous a name as some of Ronaldo’s Galactico friends, Nilis has the honour of being his greatest-ever teammate.
Ronaldo said: “I played with people like Figo, Romario, Zidane, Rivaldo, Djorkaeff and Raul, but nobody was like him.
“(Nilis) was simply fantastic, certainly the best teammate I’ve ever had.”
