The England star is expected to extend his loan deal at
AC Milan this week. But Milan boss Ancelotti says he was won over
by Beckham and had no option but to start him. Beckham, 33, has
made nine appearances and scored two goals during his dream spell
in Italy.
Ancelotti said: "At the beginning Beckham was set to
train with us for two months and I didn´t think about playing him.
"Then, I saw how he trained and I had no choice.
"We tried to get him four years earlier and two years
ago but the negotiations faded away. "I can say he is a great
player. He has won me over with his performances and his
character."
Ancelotti believes Beckham has improved with age. He
added: "On the pitch, Beckham sees everything before everyone else.
"His vision of play is better now than during his time in
Manchester and in that respect, he has nothing to envy Kaka
for.
"He is slower but much stronger tactically and
technically. "He is very intelligent and works a lot."
Ancelotti followed up his praise for Beckham with
criticism of summer signing Ronaldinho.
He blasted: "Players like him base everything on
talent. "I have coached many great players and the majority think
they can make the difference just with talent. This is not
true.
"In modern football if you don´t have good physical
condition and work in training it´s difficult to shine in a
game."