Van Nistelrooy recently joined Real Madrid from Manchester United for around $19 million, and Beckham said that he played a part in convincing the Dutch striker to sign for the Spanish giants.

"We spoke a few times on the phone before he signed for Real Madrid," Beckham told The Sun on Friday.

"He was interested to know what it's like and I told him it’s the best in the world."

Just like Beckham, Van Nistelrooy suffered a turbulent period prior to his move to Real, with United coach Alex Ferguson leaving the 30-year-old out of the first team for the final three months of the season.

"Ruud told me that he's delighted to be part of the Real team, and that he wants the season to start so he can show why he's been signed."

Beckham played three fruitful seasons with Van Nistelrooy at United. The winger provided crosses and passes and Van Nistelrooy delivered the goals.

"At United, he always got on the end of my crosses, we've an understanding just by looking at each other, he'll definitely score a lot of goals," Beckham said.