Brazil World Cup winner Ronaldo has given David Beckham a vote of confidence and called on the England captain to resist a reported approach by Chelsea and stay at Real Madrid.
The Brazilian superstar is backing Beckham to stay in La Liga this summer and reject the chance to return to the Premiership.
Ronaldo believes the former Manchester United man has been impressive in his debut season in Spain and wants him to stay.
The former Inter Milan and Barcelona marksman has netted 24 goals this term, and has praised Beckham’s crossing ability for supplying many of those.
”It would be a pity to lose David now after he has spent a year establishing himself in Madrid,” Ronaldo told Sky TV.
”He has been a really good player for us in his first year and he expects to stay. He has made a big difference to the way I play in the team and the precision of his passing and his crossing is a great asset. It has been those kind of performances that have told me that David is really happy at Real Madrid.
”I am delighted to be playing alongside him in Madrid.”
Ronaldo dismissed newspaper reports of alleged Beckham love affairs as ”sensationalist” and warned Beckham would be taking a step down if he accepted Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s cash.
”I think Chelsea might have lots of money but they have a long, long way to go if they want to catch up with Real Madrid,” Ronaldo said.
”We have the trophies and the history that comes with being successful over many decades and you cannot simply acquire that prestige overnight.
”I know that Abramovich has a lot of money but I think it will take him a long time to build a club who are like Real Madrid.” — Sapa-AFP