Wow, choosing the Brazil best XI of all time – that’s a tough one. There are so many brilliant players in each position, and that means some great players will miss out. My team is set up in a super offensive formation. We might concede a lot of goals, but we would score so many more. In fact, I can guarantee five goals every game!

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The best form of defence is to have the ball. A team with Falcão, Zico and Rivellino at its heart could play for years without making a mistake in possession. When you have the ball, you don’t have a problem. That is my philosophy in choosing my all-time Brazil XI.

The goalkeeper in my special team is Cláudio Taffarel. He was so calm, smooth and peaceful, always giving us confidence on the field. He didn’t do anything fancy, never jumped or dived unnecessarily and always had the ball under control. He played three World Cups, always as Brazil’s No 1. That is not an easy achievement.

My right-back is Carlos Alberto Torres. Whether defending or attacking, he was always good. Carlos was a great leader, but his technique was even more incredible. His famous goal against Italy in 1970 was such a beautiful, powerful strike.

The two central defenders are Aldair and Lúcio. They never played together, but I believe that they would form an amazing partnership. Aldair was very calm, never made a bad tackle and his positioning was incredible. He was my team-mate at Roma and with the Seleção – he saved my life many times when I was attacking. Lúcio was more aggressive and intense. He scored many goals, and had a great passing range and all-round quality.

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Left-back, for sure, is Roberto Carlos. A world champion, he played at a high level for many years, with the same quality and intensity whether defending or attacking. He was a giant. I have never seen a shot as powerful as his. He had a missile in his leg!

Midfield is the hardest area of the team to pick. There are many, many players who could play in the middle of a Brazil dream team, but I can only pick four. First, my defensive midfielder is Paulo Roberto Falcão, who starred in the 1982 World Cup. He was a smart player, a legend with an elegance rarely seen on a football pitch. The king of assists, he never misplaced a pass or made a mistake.

In front of Falcão, I have chosen a ‘super trio’ of attacking midfielders. The first is Rivellino. His elastico move was beautiful, like something from another planet. I love him! He was the best dribbler of a football ever.

My other two midfielders are Zico and Rivaldo. Zico was intelligent, had incredible vision and could strike a superb free-kick. A foul around the area was as good as a goal to him. As for Rivaldo, he was a genius. Come on! It was so wonderful to see him with the ball. He played with the same style as Falcão. Rivaldo was brilliant.

Picking the two attackers is easy. The first is the best player of all time – Pelé. Do I need to say anything more? The athlete of the century, he scored more than 1,000 goals, and won the World Cup three times. He was complete. I don’t need to say anything more. Pelé is Pelé. No one can beat him.

Pelé’s partner up front is Ronaldo. He was incredible too. You had to pay attention to both feet with Ronaldo as they were as good as each other. He was an example to other players, too. He suffered three serious injuries during his career, and was always fighting against these problems. Ronaldo was essential to us in 2002 when we became world champions.

The coach for my all-time Brazil team is Mário Zagallo, the manager for the World Cup win in 1970. He would make this team play very well.