David Beckham dramatically left Manchester United in 2003 to become a Galactico at Real Madrid.
It is exactly 22 years to the day since David Beckham dominated headlines in world football by making a £25 million move to Real Madrid.
Beckham was adored at Old Trafford having come up as part of the infamous ‘Class of ’92‘ under Sir Alex Ferguson and playing a crucial role in the treble success of 1999.
Looking back on his time in Manchester, Beckham saw Ferguson as a ‘father figure’, but as is the case with many of Ferguson’s stars, their relationship was often complicated.
Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United legend David Beckham.
Photo by Tom Purslow/Manchester United via Getty Images
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Beckham revealed he “didn’t want to leave” United but explains that the decision was taken out of his hands.
“We just won the league again, but all of a sudden I got a phone call to be told that United had agreed a deal and that was the end of it,” Beckham said.
However, Ferguson’s recollection of the events is slightly different, with the legendary United boss insisting that Beckham could have stayed.
As quoted by Goal, Ferguson said: “The decision was made, it was better he [Beckham] went. He didn’t need to go. He could have stayed if he wanted. I think he knew it was the right time.”
More United News
Beckham joined Madrid under President Florentino Perez, who was building a team of ‘Galacticos’ for Los Blancos in the 2000s era.
The ‘boot incident’ that led to David Beckham leaving Man United
Beckham has repeatedly spoken about his love for United and how he viewed it as “home” during his years at the football club.
His move to Madrid raised eyebrows, but it felt inevitable when Beckham’s relationship with Ferguson reached boiling point after the “boot incident”.
Just months before his summer exit, Beckham was spotted in public with a sizeable cut above his eye. It was later revealed that the cut was caused by Ferguson kicking a boot in the dressing room after a 2-0 loss to Arsenal in the FA Cup.
Speaking about the incident, Beckham has since accepted that some of the blame lay with him.
In his Netflix documentary titled Beckham*,***he said: “We walked in the changing room and the boss is fuming, I can see it by his face. And when you see the boss’s face like this, you don’t want to be anywhere near him. It is a face that no one can do, trust me.
READ MORE: David Beckham shares ‘very special’ moment in Man Utd career and talks up one of his idols
“I went back at the boss and said ‘no’ and then I swore. I said the f-word. And then I saw him change, and I was like, ‘S***, I really shouldn’t have said that’. I think I said the f-word too many times.”
Meanwhile, Ferguson believes the tabloid photos of Beckham’s cut was “stage-managed”, adding: “It wasn’t even worth a stitch”.