Premier League legend Ashley Cole has named the player he would pick to play for England's 'golden generation'.
Cole, 44, will forever be remembered as one of the game's greatest left-backs, having played for the likes of Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Roma, LA Galaxy and Derby County.
During his career, Cole won three Premier League titles and one Champions League trophy among other accolades.
On the international stage, the full-back was capped 107 times by England and was part of the 'golden generation'.
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Despite sharing the dressing room with the likes of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney, Cole was in no doubt when asked to pick a player from another country to add to the Three Lions squad.
Cole told SPORTbible: "I'm gonna throw in a more flairy player, I'm going to go Ronaldinho, coming up against him on many occasions, he was just unstoppable.
"I think Ronaldinho playing in our team, he would've brought some flair and excitement into it."
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When asked to settle the age-old Gerrard, Scholes and Lampard debate, Cole explained: "Look, they're all great in their own way. What Stevie G done with that Liverpool side, having dragged them through so many big games and had so many amazing moments.
"You know, I sit back now as a fan and as a coach, you can't separate them. Scholesy would run games and Frank Lampard, what other midfielder would get you 20 plus goals a season."
He continued: "So yeah, everyone is going to have their own opinion, I've played with Frank, Stevie and Scholesy, and I can't split them to be honest, they all have amazing attributes."
Cole was speaking to SPORTbible after the release of the latest episode of his podcast 'Football’s Greatest: Could It Be Magic?', which he hosts alongside Joe Cole.
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Speaking about the podcast, the 44-year-old revealed that Engand great Paul Gascoigne would be his dream guest.
He said: "Dream guest, I would have to say Paul Gascoigne, you know, he broke my heart in the semi-final with that free-kick (Spurs vs Arsenal 1991).
"I would love to get his insight, we all know how good he was as a player, but I think he would have some funny stories, so Paul Gascoigne."
Football’s Greatest: Could It Be Magic? Brought to you by Carling, the official beer of the Emirates FA Cup and Adobe Women’s FA Cup is available on YouTube and Spotify, or you can listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Topics: Ashley Cole, Brazil, England, Football, Ronaldinho
Marcus Chan