David Beckham's transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid was one of the highest-profile moves involving any England player
David Beckham at Manchester United in 2003
David Beckham's Manchester United exit was confirmed in 2003(Image: Getty Images)
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When former Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon told David Beckham he was on the way out, the player's reaction said it all. Beckham ended up joining Real Madrid after a much-publicised falling-out with Sir Alex Ferguson, but - as Kenyon recalls - the player still didn't want to leave Old Trafford.
Beckham had spent his entire career with United, playing just shy of 400 matches and establishing himself as captain of the England national team during that time. The souring of his relationship with Ferguson made an exit inevitable in the club's eyes, but that didn't make it any easier for the player to take.
“David did not want to play for anyone else but Manchester United, genuinely," Kenyon told High Performance. "He loved the club, it had been part of his life, it was everything… so to get David to move was not about moving for more money - he didn’t want to go.
“It was basically confronting David with: ‘You’re not going to play for Manchester United again, that’s the reality’. And that was a decision that was taken fundamentally by Alex, supported by the board completely. That was one of the ways United worked best, because once the decision had been taken, it was a joint decision that just then got executed."
Kenyon also reflected on the call in which he made it clear to Beckham that the decision had been made. “Honestly, I think you’ve got to be truthful,” he added.
"The final call I had was one Sunday afternoon - I was barbecuing, they were barbecuing in London - and it was like: ‘David, it’s over, and we’re asking you to look at joining Real Madrid…I know the Madrid guys inside out, and the only team I think you can go to other than Manchester United is Madrid.
“You’ll be well looked after, you’ll be playing with superstars, you’ll be in for trophies, and they’ll pay you more than we are. But more importantly than that, it’s over [for you] here.’”
When asked about Beckham’s own reaction, he said it was “tough, because he didn’t want to leave”. “I think it’s that honesty, I think it’s confronting difficult situations in a way that is respectful and honest and open,” he added.
Peter Kenyon at Manchester United
Peter Kenyon called Beckham to tell him he would be leaving(Image: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
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Beckham spent four years at Real Madrid but didn't get his hands on much silverware as Valencia won the 2003/04 title and Barcelona claimed the next two. The England star did eventually win La Liga in 2006/07 before leaving for Los Angeles Galaxy.
In Beckham's autobiography 'My Side', he opened up about Ferguson's role in his exit. "The gaffer had had enough. I'd grown up as a person, and he didn't seem to like what I'd become," he wrote.
During a 2017 appearance on the BBC's 'Desert Island Discs', he shed more light on the emotional impact of a departure which left him "shocked and devastated". "I didn't watch Manchester United for three years (after that)," he said. "I would never have left."
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