David Beckham was a better team-mate than Cristiano Ronaldo at Man United for key reason

Gary Neville has opened up about why he found David Beckham to be a better team-mate than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Neville, who had an illustrious 19-year career at Old Trafford from 1992 to 2011, won eight Premier League titles, nine domestic cups, and two Champions Leagues with the Red Devils. Known for his level-headedness and leadership, he became club captain under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2005 following Roy Keane's departure.

Over the years, Neville played alongside some of the world's top players, including English legends like Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney, and Rio Ferdinand, as well as European stars such as Ruud van Nistelrooy and Eric Cantona. However, it was his partnership with Beckham, both on and off the pitch, that stood out, allowing them to communicate almost telepathically during games.

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But when Beckham left for Real Madrid in 2003, Neville had to forge a new relationship with Ronaldo. Speaking to Sky Sports about the shift in dynamic, he said: "Well I never saw Ronaldo, Beckham was better to play with because he actually played with you.

"Ronaldo, that was one of the things about him, he was never in front of you. The odd time he was, you could make quite a lot of dummy runs around the back of him. He was a great individual who could play all across the front line. I think obviously the partnership with Beckham was something that was special," reports the Mirror.

"But Ronaldo at two or three years at Old Trafford was absolutely incredible." Ronaldo's trajectory mirrored Beckham's when he left Manchester