Former Manchester United star David Beckham has enjoyed a close relationship with some of his former Old Trafford team-mates but one alliance was put to the test
David Beckham with Phil Neville at Inter Miami
David Beckham sacked close friend Phil Neville as Inter Miami manager(Image: Getty Images)
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One of the lesser-seen obstacles for a football club owner comes when you're forced to deliver bad news to a close friend. That's what happened to David Beckham at Inter Miami when the time came to tell Phil Neville he was getting sacked as manager.
Beckham and Neville were the best of friends during their playing days at Manchester United, breaking into the first team in the 1990s after both coming through United's academy. The pair were reunited in Florida after Beckham took ownership of the club, with Neville appointed as manager for their second Major League Soccer season in 2021.
Inter Miami finished 11th in the Eastern Conference in Neville's first season at the helm, despite boasting talents including World Cup-winning midfielder Blaise Matuidi and former Real Madrid and Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain. They made the post-season play-offs in 2022 but lost to New York City in the first round.
Neville was granted a number of new signings in the close season, including former MLS top scorer Josef Martinez. Results didn't improve, though, leaving Beckham with a tough decision to make.
"Football management is temporary, we know at some point you're going to be moved on. That was my reason for being nervous when you took that job," Neville's older brother Gary told his sibling on It's Called Soccer! in 2024. "Did you think about that at the beginning or did you just see it as an unbelievable opportunity?"
Phil replied: "[It was] both, really. The big thing is that you're not just losing a football game but you feel like you're letting a friend down as well. Becks is really strong, he doesn't buckle and he's really loyal to the people he's close to."
When reflecting on his sacking specifically, he said: "The day I actually got fired was probably actually harder for David than it was for me. He really didn't want to do it, he was really emotional. I was emotional too but I knew it was coming so it was probably easier for me."
David and Victoria Beckham celebrating Inter Miami's MLS Cup win in December 2025
Beckham's Inter Miami franchise would go on to win MLS Cup without Neville in 2025(Image: Getty Images)
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Inter Miami had won just five of their first 15 league games when Beckham approved a change of manager. Tata Martino took over midway through the 2023 season, when even the summer additions of Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets weren't enough to drag them back into the play-offs.
It was a different story in 2024, though, with Martino leading the team to the Supporters' Shield - awarded to the team that finishes top in the regular season - but falling short in the play-offs. His successor, Javier Mascherano, finally delivered the club a first MLS Cup triumph in 2025.
Phil Neville wasn't deterred from pursuing his managerial dream by the way things ended in Miami. He took over at Portland Timbers just months later and has led the club to the play-offs in each of his first two seasons.
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