- Sir Alex Ferguson infamously kicked a boot into David Beckham’s face in 2003
- The then-Manchester United boss was left fuming after the 2-0 loss to Arsenal
- Less than five months later Beckham was sold to Real Madrid for £25million
- Beckham said Ferguson would often tell the squad what a great player he was
David Beckham has opened up about the infamous boot-kicking incident in 2003, joking that it was the moment he realised how great Sir Alex Ferguson was as a player.
Beckham was left requiring stitching above his left eye after Ferguson inadvertently struck him with a stray boot in the Manchester United dressing room.
Ferguson was known for giving players the hairdryer treatment if he was unhappy with United’s level of performance.
David Beckham was left with a plaster over his eye after being caught by the flying boot
Sir Alex Ferguson was left fuming after Manchester United were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal in 2003
But after the 2-0 FA Cup fifth round loss to Arsenal, Beckham revealed the legendary United boss took his anger out in an entirely different way, targeting a pile of clothes on the Old Trafford changing room floor.
‘We had a couple of wobbles in the 13 years,’ Beckham told Rachel Riley at the Grassroot Soccer Gala on Saturday.
‘On Champions League nights the boss would always come out onto the pitch he would be taking penalties and free-kicks and telling all of the players how great he was when he played.
‘The time when I really got to find out how great he was was the game against Arsenal (which United lost 2-0 in 2003).
Beckham poses during the launch for the new adidas Predator boots in Shanghai on Monday
The United legend said Ferguson would often tell the United squad how great a player he was
‘I’d made a couple of mistakes during the game and he came into the changing room and we had a couple of words.
‘He started to walk over to me and he kicked a pile of clothes on the floor. Out came this boot and it hit me and then I realised how accurate he actually was!’
Beckham was sold to Real Madrid less than five months later while Ferguson would remain United manager until his retirement at the end of the 2012-13 season.
Ferguson recalled the incident in his own 2013 autobiography, revealing he lost his temper and kicked the boot when Beckham swore following the defeat.
Beckham revealed that he had a ‘few wobbles’ with Ferguson during his spell at United
Ferguson was infamous for his hairdryer treatment during his glittering spell at Old Trafford
‘In his final season with us, we were aware that David’s work rate was dropping and we had heard rumours of a flirtation between Real Madrid and David’s camp,
‘The main issue was that his application level had dropped from its traditionally stratospheric level.
“He was around 12 feet from me. Between us on the floor lay a row of boots. David swore. I moved towards him, and as I approached I kicked a boot.
‘It hit him right above the eye. Of course he rose to have a go at me and the players stopped him.’
