Beckham reconnects with former teammate Ronaldo

David Beckham used social media to catch up with an old friend with the Major League Soccer season on hold amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Inter Miami CF owner and president of soccer operations joined Ronaldo Nazário de Lima on Instagram live on Wednesday, discussing the memories they created together as teammates on Real Madrid and their current endeavors with both being executives for soccer clubs.

Beckham, who’s been in the United Kingdom for the last three weeks with his family, said it’s been “difficult times” for the team with its inaugural season being put on hold. Inter Miami lost its first two matches and was set to play its first home against the LA Galaxy on March 14 before

MLS suspended the season two days earlier.

“The first week of the lockdown was when we were going to go play our first [home] game,” Beckham said to Nazário de Lima, who was named the Player of the Tournament for runner-up Brazil at the 1998 World Cup. “So it’s difficult, but I

think that the most important thing is that obviously, everybody stays healthy, stays safe, and then we can take the advice of the governments and the places where we’re going to be playing.”

Beckham expressed excitement to Nazário de Lima about Inter Miami’s direction, with Nazário de Lima saying that he loved the club’s “beautiful colors.”

“You’ve spent a lot of time in Miami,” Beckham said. “It’s a special place with special people and to have the team that we have, to have the players that we have, to have the ownership group and to have the stadium and the facility that we have is really exciting for us. I tried to take things from Manchester to Madrid to Milan to

PSG [Paris Saint-Germain], to the [LA] Galaxy. All the teams that I’ve played at, I tried to take a little bit from every team into this organization. It’s something that feels different, but it’s special.”

The pair were teammates on Real Madrid from 2003-07 during the team’s “Galácticos” era, when the club added some of the most high-profile players from around the world each summer.

Beckham spent the first 11 years of his career with Manchester United before transferring to Real Madrid in the summer of 2003.

Beckham thanked Nazário de Lima for helping make the adjustment easier for him.

“To move from Manchester to Madrid was a big move for me, and one of the first people that I ever saw was you,” Beckham said to Nazário de Lima. “When you walked into the changing room, it made me comfortable to be in the club.”

Nazário de Lima replied by calling Beckham “amazing” and saying he was one of the “best of all time in the center.”

“The way you would touch the ball, the way you could get the ball whatever you want, and without looking at me, I should thank you for many balls you gave to me,” Nazário de Lima said.

Nazário de Lima is currently the majority owner of Real Valladolid, a team in LaLiga, the top soccer division in Spain.

Beckham and Nazário de Lima mentioned the possibility of having their two teams play a friendly match against one another to help raise money for those in need.

“I think it’s important to raise money for the people who have been trying to save lives,” Beckham said. “To do something special is very important.”