Gary Neville and David Beckham are incredibly close friends. The pair came through the famous Man United academy as part of the 'Class of 92', and went on to win a vast number of trophies together before Beckham departed for Real Madrid in 2003. The pair met in 1991, at 16 years old, and Neville went on to be Beckham's best man at his wedding, such was their close friendship.
On the pitch, the duo were formidable, with Neville at right-back and Beckham in right midfield. Neville was ever reliable, putting in key tackles and being assured in possession, passing the ball to more creative players, such as Beckham, who can unlock opponents' defences. Beckham was one of England's best-ever players, and could deliver wicked crosses into the box, as well as being deadly from free-kicks and when shooting from long range.
As much as the pair were close, on and off the field, Gary Neville revealed that he hated sharing a room with his best friend – saying so in an interview with Sky Sports, via The Mirror.
Neville Grew Tired of Sharing With Beckham
The England internationals weren't compatible.
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After becoming great friends during their time together in the academy, the pair decided to share rooms during away matches. However, they quickly realised it wasn't going to work.
Neville outlined the two problems he had, saying: "I roomed with David Beckham for about six months and then the whole rooming with players completely stopped because everybody went into their own individual rooms,"
"I think they worked out that players weren’t compatible with each other and that each went to bed at different times.
"I had two big problems with Becks... I used to go to bed at 9pm and wake up at 5am, he would stay up until 11pm and want to wake up at 8am, so essentially he was keeping me up from 9 until 11 and then I was getting him up at 5 in the morning, so it just wasn’t working at all."
Not only were their lives rather different, but their living habits were also from different worlds. Neville, talking about Beckham, revealed the second issue was:
"He is the cleanest person. He gets into his room, he lights candles, he puts pictures up – everything has to be absolutely perfect, it’s been the same since he was 18. I just threw everything everywhere, so it just did not work at all. I’m always talking, always arguing and he was the complete opposite of that. He would listen to music, he would want peace, he would want to be chilled and it’s just the complete opposite end of the spectrum of where I was at."
Despite their on-pitch chemistry and very close friendship, it quickly became apparent to the pair that they couldn't share a room together, and their living preferences clashed. Fortunately for them, things changed, and they were able to have their own rooms, which was much more suitable.
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Neville and Beckham's Journey to the Top
They were both part of the Class of 92.
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Beckham was born in London and was part of the Tottenham academy before being signed by Man United in 1991. Neville was born in Bury and also joined Man United in 1991, where he remained for his whole career.
The pair, alongside Ryan Giggs, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, were coached by Eric Harrison, and went on to be a part of one of the most famous youth teams of all time. Winning the 1992 FA Youth Cup against Crystal Palace 6-3 over two legs, Beckham and Neville began to make a name for themselves and stake a claim for a spot in the first team.
They both soon signed professional contracts, making their United debuts in September 1992, before a loan move to Preston for Beckham followed. It took a couple of seasons for the pair to be regulars in the Man United team, as Neville became first choice right-back in 1994/95, and never looked back. As for Beckham, it wasn't until 1996 that he locked down a position in the starting lineup.
From this point onwards, the pair continued to impress and win plenty of trophies. Together they won six Premier Leagues, two FA Cups and the Champions League, in very successful careers. Neville remained at United for his whole career, becoming a club legend, whereas Beckham left in rather unsavoury circumstances.
After an argument with Sir Alex Ferguson, in which a boot was kicked and struck Beckham in the face, the English winger decided to leave the club, and joined European giants Real Madrid.
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