David Beckham’s time at Manchester United is still remembered fondly by the club’s fans, even thirteen years after the former England captain was sold to Real Madrid. The midfielder, who scored 85 goals in 394 appearances for his boyhood club, still attends games at Old Trafford having retired from football after spells with Paris Saint Germain, AC Milan and LA Galaxy, and recently opened up about the events that might have contributed to his exit from United in 2003.
Speaking to the BBC’s Desert Island Discs, Beckham has spoken of the issues that surfaced with his former boss, Sir Alex Ferguson: “There were certain decisions I made back then that were wrong and I can see why the manager got so frustrated.
“There was one occasion when Victoria was in Ireland. I had a day off so I flew over to Ireland. I didn’t feel I needed to tell the manager what I was doing. As I was coming back at 6am for training, I was sat in the lounge and the manager walked in. He didn’t talk to me. I knew I was in a little bit of trouble.
“I can understand the manager then thinking, ‘OK, he’s not looking after his body,’ or ‘He’s not resting as he should do’. All the manager ever wanted was the best for the team, the best for the club and the best for the individual.”
