Key Takeaways
Ronaldinho named his greatest British XI of all time, but could not find room for Alan Shearer or Gareth Bale.
The Brazilian's team features prime English legends like Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes, and David Beckham.
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Wayne Rooney was selected as the sole striker in the team, despite Shearer scoring more goals.
While he might not be considered quite on the level of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, there was a period of time during the 2000s when no one could touch Ronaldinho. The Brazilian was a magician on the ball and his dazzling tricks and heroics for Barcelona won fans over across the globe.
There was no one quite like the star and watching him terrorise defenders with his bag of tricks and skills was almost cinematic. As a result, he knows a thing or two about talent. Like his former teammate Xavi, Ronaldinho was once asked to name the best British XI of all-time and his team, shared via Metro, is star-studded to say the least. It's that stacked in fact, that there wasn't any room for Alan Shearer or Gareth Bale.
Nevertheless, his XI would go toe-to-toe with just about anyone. Take a look at his full team below.
| Position | Player |
| GK | Joe Hart |
| RB | Gary Neville |
| CB | John Terry |
| CB | Rio Ferdinand |
| LB | Ashley Cole |
| CM | Steven Gerrard |
| CM | Paul Scholes |
| RM | David Beckham |
| AM | Frank Lampard |
| LM | Ryan Giggs |
| ST | Wayne Rooney |
Goalkeeper & Defence
Hart, Neville, Terry, Ferdinand & Cole
The only really surprising inclusion in Ronaldinho's team is the first position on the teamsheet and that's Joe Hart in goal. The former Manchester City man was once one of the best shotstoppers in the Premier League, but his career fizzled quite early. These days, he's not even considered one of the five best English keepers of all-time, but when picking this team back in 2015, Ronaldinho was clearly a fan.
In defence, he's left very little room for debate. His back line of Gary Neville, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole features some of the very best players in football history. Neville won just about everything there was to win with Manchester United, as did Ferdinand. Terry led Chelsea through their most successful period ever.
Cole is the greatest left-back in Premier League history. He was a nightmare for wingers throughout his career and represented Arsenal and Chelsea against some of the very best sides in football. There's no doubt all four of Ronaldinho's defenders are worthy of their places.
Midfield
Gerrard, Scholes, Beckham, Lampard & Giggs
If the Brazilian's defence was impressive, then his midfield takes things to a whole new level. There's often been a debate on who England's greatest ever midfielder is. Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard are at the forefront of most debates, with many struggling to decide which of the trio was ultimately the best. Fortunately, Ronaldinho didn't have to pick among them and instead included all three in his XI.
He paired Gerrard and Scholes up together in the centre of the park and then slotted Lampard in just ahead of them in a more attacking role. Considering the former Chelsea man's prowess in front of goal, the decision makes a lot of sense. All three legends have earned their spots among the best players in Premier League history and the Brazilian was wise to include all of them here.
On his wingers, he selected two more United icons in David Beckham and Ryan Giggs. The former is one of the best free-kick takers in Premier League history and was a creative machine for the Red Devils as well as Real Madrid, LA Galaxy and AC Milan.
Giggs is the only non-English player included in the XI. The Welsh wizard was consistently one of United's most important players for nearly a quarter of a century. His longevity was unlike any fans had seen before and his record as the leading assist provider in Premier League history won't be broken for some time.
Forward
He selected Rooney alone up front
While Ronaldinho only selected one striker in his XI, he made up for it with one of the best forwards in English football history. Wayne Rooney might have moved into a deeper role as his career entered its twilight years, but throughout the majority of his time on the pitch, he was an explosive forward who thrived in front of goal.
He is United's all-time leading goalscorer, he was once England's top scorer ever and only Shearer and Harry Kane have scored more times in the Premier League. Rooney was one of the most complete players in the history of the English top flight and Ronaldinho recognised how impressive he was, selecting him over Shearer, despite the former Newcastle United man having the better goalscoring record.
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