David Beckham’s 2003 transfer to [Real Madrid](https://www.managingmadrid.com) is one of the most iconic moves in football history, but as the English superstar revealed this week, the path to the Santiago Bernabéu wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed.
In an interview on **CBS Sports’ “Beckham and Friends Live”**, Beckham shared that [**Manchester United**](https://thebusbybabe.sbnation.com) **had actually sold him to Barcelona** before he ever put pen to paper with Real Madrid.
> “My team in Spain was always Real Madrid,” Beckham said. “The funny part is that Manchester United sold me to Barcelona in the first place.”
Beckham was vacationing when he received the unexpected news. United had accepted an offer from Barcelona, led at the time by newly elected president Joan Laporta, who had campaigned on the promise of bringing Beckham to Camp Nou. Laporta would later confirm publicly that the deal had been agreed.
> “They called me while I was on vacation to tell me they had accepted an offer from Barcelona,” Beckham recalled. “I told them that if they were going to sell me, the only team I would go to was Real Madrid.”
Despite the behind-the-scenes negotiations, Beckham held firm. He had no interest in joining Barça — a rival of the club he’d admired since childhood.
> “I’ve always dreamed of playing for Real Madrid since I was a kid,” he said. “I never imagined I’d leave Manchester United, but if I did, it was to play for Real Madrid.”
His determination proved decisive. With Beckham unwilling to make the move to Catalonia, the deal with Barcelona was scrapped. Within **36 hours**, the course of football history shifted.
> “They had to cancel the transfer, and a day and a half later, everything was ready for me to join Madrid.”