David Beckham was unarguably the most famous English player in his days, and sometimes, it got to his head, but there was one man who was always ready to straighten him up whenever he went overboard – Sir Alex Ferguson. Until his departure in 2003, David Beckham was a mainstay on the United team that won almost everything from 1997 to 2003.
Now the owner of a franchise in the MLS that Lionel Messi plays for, David Beckham always recalls his time at Manchester United whenever he gets the chance. He recently recalled how Sir Alex Ferguson forced him to change his hairstyle before a match, because the legendary Scott didn’t like his appearance.
David Beckham revealed story about SAF
David Beckham was not the easiest player to deal with in his playing days, but Sir Alex Ferguson knew just how to handle the superstar. As a famous player with a lot of commercial success, David Beckham understandably cared about his looks, but Sir Alex Ferguson wouldn’t let him do anything that would jeopardize the success of his team, and on one occasion, Britain’s most successful manager called the young superstar to order.
“One day, when I was at Manchester United, I made myself a mohawk,” the former England captain recalled. “I knew Sir Alex Ferguson wasn’t going to like it, so the first days of training, I put on a hat to hide in the locker room, on the pitch, or at meals. But on game day, I had to take my hat off. When I went to warm up, Ferguson said, ‘Shave that immediately.’ I laughed, but his face transformed, and he said, ‘I’m serious; shave that ridge right now!’ So I went to the bathroom at Wembley and shaved it off,” he added.
Sadly, United suffered a 2-0 defeat against Chelsea at Wembley in the Charity Shield match in 2000.
David Beckham left Manchester United for Real Madrid in 2003
After the hairstyle incident, David Beckham would only spend one more season as a Manchester United player before being shipped off to Real Madrid in Spain. The Spanish giants paid over $38 million for the England captain, but it was considered a coup for a player who constantly fell out with Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ferguson gave David Beckham a chance at the highest level as part of the class of ‘93, which also includes Ryan Giggs, the Neville brothers, Nicky Butt, and Paul Scholes. However, their relationship deteriorated in Beckham’s final season at the club, with Sir Alex Ferguson kicking a boot at the England captain after a loss to Arsenal.
“I’d made a couple of mistakes during the game, and he came into the dressing room, and a few harsh words were exchanged,” Beckham said. “He started to walk over to me, and he kicked out at a pile of clothes on the floor. Out came this boot, and I quickly realised how accurate his kick had been as it struck me on the head, but there weren’t any hard feelings. It was a complete freak accident. As far as we were concerned, it was forgotten straight away within the club, but as far as the boss and I were concerned, it was over, done and dusted,” he concluded.
Years later, David Beckham admitted he made mistakes with his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson. “You make decisions at 21 I would you would not make when you’re 41,” Beckham said, indicating that being thrown into the spotlight at a very young age affected him.
Now 48, David Beckham now owns a franchise in the MLS, Inter Miami, where Lionel Messi currently plays, and his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson has been mended over the years.
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