Six and a half years after leaving Manchester United, David Beckham faces for the first time Sir Alex Ferguson’s team that turned him into a global star when AC Milan host the Reds in San Siro.
Beckham’s story began in July 1991 when he, a lifelong United fan, moved north from Leytonstone to sign apprentice forms for the Reds. Early in his career he was described by Ferguson as, “a normal, likable, straightforward boy”. Sir Alex carefully and masterfully reared him into one of the outstanding midfielders of the generation. But by the early 2000s, the relationship between Ferguson and Beckham had begun to deteriorate, perhaps as a consequence of Beckham’s fame and commitments away from football.
In 2007 Ferguson commented, “He was never a problem until he got married. He used to go into work with the academy coaches at night time; he was a fantastic young lad. Getting married into that entertainment scene was a difficult thing – from that moment, his life was never going to be the same. He is such a big celebrity; football is only a small part.”
His departure from United in 2003 left a bruising impression on all fans. Leaving and coming to terms that he was not a United player was the toughest thing he had to do in his life. Beckham later revealed in his autobiography, My Side, how devastated he felt. He wrote: ‘The gaffer had had enough. I’d grown up as a person and he didn’t seem to like what I’d become. Now (after a Champions League tie against Real Madrid in 2003) it looked like he’d seen enough of me as a player, as well. If it was anything to do with the gaffer – and, of course, it would be – I was sure I was finished.’
It will be a very emotional moment for both Beckham as well as the fans when he sets foot on the pitch against United. Beckham has revealed to the media: “I was nearly in tears when I heard the draw. Manchester is a special place for me and I haven’t played there for nearly seven years. I have a lot of friends at United and a great rapport with the fans. It will be a special evening, but we will be trying to win the tie.”
Beckham has always lavished honour for Ferguson in all these years away from Old Trafford. Speaking to the media before the first leg he hailed Ferguson saying, “Sir Alex will always be a father figure to me. He always has been and he always will be. No matter what has been said in the past, whether good or bad, I only remember the good times. He was the man who gave me my chance to play for club I had always dreamed of playing for. For me they were only good times. Sir Alex is respected throughout football all around the world. Clubs move forward and it was my time to leave Manchester United in 2003 and I moved on. I definitely hold nothing against the manager, he’s an incredible man. There’s definitely no score to be settled. He added “I wouldn’t celebrate. Obviously I’d be pleased to score. But out of respect to Manchester United and the fans, I wouldn’t celebrate. But I wouldn’t want Milan fans to think I wasn’t excited to score. But I’m more focused on winning the game than the emotional part. To say that as a Manchester United fan is quite difficult.”
On the other hand Ferguson has not been so placate like Beckham leading up to the tie and has said: “The only difference with David’s return to Manchester United compared with other players is that there will be a big media circus surrounding him when Milan arrive.[I have] no regrets. We move on. He’s such a high-profile celebrity – not just a high-profile footballer – and we haven’t really seen anybody else return to the club in that situation. Our job is to concentrate on the football match and let the David Beckham media circus carry on – we know we’re not going to stop it anyway.”
Whatever be the result of the tie it will be a great showpiece of footballing romance.
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