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Former Barcelona midfielder Boudewijn Zenden has revealed a heartwarming story about his former teammate Ronaldo Nazario.
Zenden was asked by FourFourTwo to pick his all-time best XI of players who has been teammates with throughout his illustrious career, with the Dutchman selecting Ronaldo as his centre-forward.
When asked by the outlet why he selected his former PSV Eindhoven colleague, the retired midfielder proclaimed:
“I got to know him when he came to PSV as a 17-year-old. He had recently won the 1994 World Cup and was already phenomenal. We both stayed in the same apartment complex, with me in a small apartment and him up in the penthouse!
"I took him to my birthplace of Maastricht one time, where the best yearly carnival in the Netherlands is celebrated. He wore a clown outfit and a wig, and I painted his face, but people still recognised him. His smile, with that typical gap between his front teeth, revealed his true identity.”
Ronaldo is considered one of the greatest forwards to ever play the game, having won two FIFA World Cups and two Ballon d'Ors. In total, the Brazilian legend scored 352 goals in 518 appearances throughout his career for clubs like Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
Former Barcelona midfielder explains all-time XI choices alongside Ronaldo Nazario
Zenden's all-time XI is an incredible outfit on paper which includes iconic players such as Xavi, Steven Gerrard and Rivaldo.
On Rivaldo, the retired Dutch international, who played alongside the Brazilian at Barcelona, stated:
“Rivaldo had a perfect left foot. He often played on the left wing at Barça, so I was left-back most of the time. At one team meeting, he told Louis van Gaal that he no longer wanted to play on the wing, but in the centre instead. For the next game, Rivaldo was on the bench! It didn’t work out between him and Louis after that.”
Zenden also selected fellow Barcelona icon Luis Figo, who was one of the greatest players of the 1990s and early 2000s.
While the former Liverpool and Chelsea midfielder admitted he hated playing against Figo, he loved being his teammate at Camp Nou, as the Portugal legend won the 2000 Ballon d'Or. Zenden said of Figo:
“In the Netherlands, memories of matches against Portugal and Figo aren’t particularly good! But as a team-mate, he was great. He didn’t look that fast, but he was. His crosses were amazing, just like his free-kicks. During our time together at Barça, he invited me to the Algarve where I paid him a visit.”
