Beckham chose fame over football
Concealed: Beckham wore a hat to hide his new haircut before a game against Leicester
Sir Alex Ferguson believes David Beckham chose fame rather than fulfilling his potential to become a legend at Manchester United.
In a damning assessment on Beckham’s departure from the club, Ferguson refuses to be repentant about kicking a boot at the player’s head and claims he thought he was bigger than his manager.
Despite referring to Beckham as ‘like a son’, Ferguson says he ‘surrendered’ football by moving to Los Angeles in 2007 and ‘made it his mission to be known outside the game’. Beckham the fittest player at United
Boy to man: David Beckham grew into a world phenomenon under Sir Alex Ferguson
Image: Ferguson is disappointed that Beckham has always been more bothered about fame than football
Ferguson details how the boot-kicking incident was sparked because Beckham failed to track Sylvain Wiltord during an FA Cup 2-0 defeat by Arsenal in February 2003, leading to the second goal.
He became enraged in the dressing room afterwards when Beckham refused to accept his mistake and kicked a boot that left him with a scar above his eyebrow.
End game: Beckham grew too quickly for the club
and had a number of bust-ups with the manager. Ferguson says he has no
remorse over the infamous boot incident
Ferguson says: ‘Of course he rose to have a go at me and the players stopped him. “Sit down,” I said. “You’ve let your team down.”’
When the story became public knowledge, Ferguson realised, ‘David thought he was bigger than Alex Ferguson,’ and decided he must be sold.
In an example of what was seen as his player’s rising focus on fame, Ferguson explains how he became incandescent when Beckham wore a beanie hat to training for two days to conceal a new haircut from the media.
The plan was to reveal a striking shaven head just before kick-off in a game against Leicester for maximum exposure.
Ferguson was forever exasperated at the midfielder's public image after he began dating Spice Girl Victoria.
During Beckham's time at Old Trafford the ex-boss is quoted as saying: 'I think that he has to control a little better the publicity machine on Victoria's side.
'It has been interfering with his life and you can't have that. You have got to be in control of the situation.
Problem: Ferguson didn't support Beckham's relationship with Spice Girl Victoria
Gone: Beckham's work-rate diminished during his last season at Old Trafford
'You are a footballer and your wife's job is different from yours. There is nothing worse than when you pick up a paper and see, "Oh Christ, where is he now?"'
Talking on Tuesday, Ferguson said: 'The big problem for me, I’m a football man, he fell in love with Victoria – that changed everything. Being a football man, I had to think about where we were going for that. If he had asked my advice when he left Real Madrid for LA Galaxy, I would have told him exactly what I thought.
'How can you leave Real Madrid for LA Galaxy? He reinvented himself a couple of times to go to AC Milan then PSG. That’s because of his natural stamina. At the end I think he did miss the big time football.
'Maybe in a couple of years he’ll look back and think that.'
And Ferguson refused to accept that he has criticised the 38-year-old.
'I don’t think I’ve been critical of David Beckham,' he added. 'How can I argue with how he’s turned out as a human being? I thought he was a marvellous guy. When he joined us at 12 years of age he had this fantastic ambition to be a footballer. I loved that.
Flirtation: Beckham is said to have made contact with Real Madrid before a move to Spain
Problem literature: Beckham's book in 2003 revealed his explosive relationship with Ferguson
'It was a wonderful period for Man
United. He worked to the point where he became a great player. We made
the right decision to let him go to Real Madrid – we felt it was the
right time.'
Ferguson adds that in Beckham’s final season his previously excellent work-rate began to drop and that rumours emerged of a ‘flirtation’ between his camp and Real Madrid.
He says it was a ‘shame’ as Beckham could still have been at Old Trafford this summer and would have been one of the club’s ‘greatest legends.’
Ferguson also tells how a couple of friends wondered whether United could take Beckham back after he left LA Galaxy but concluded there was ‘no point’.
Ferguson adds that in Beckham’s final season his previously excellent work-rate began to drop and that rumours emerged of a ‘flirtation’ between his camp and Real Madrid.
He says it was a ‘shame’ as Beckham could still have been at Old Trafford this summer and would have been one of the club’s ‘greatest legends.’
Ferguson also tells how a couple of friends wondered whether United could take Beckham back after he left LA Galaxy but concluded there was ‘no point’.
Dropped: Beckham was left out by Ferguson for a few misdemeanors before being sold to Real Madrid
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