EX-MAN United star David Beckham says former boss Sir Alex Ferguson kicked a boot at him after he told him to “f*** off”.
And Becks revealed his heartbreak at being let go by the fiery Scot from the club he considered his home.
Eamon and James ClarkeDavid Beckham pictured with a cut above his eye after being hit by a boot kicked by Sir Alex Ferguson[/caption]
Bradley Ormesher – The TimesFerguson kicked a boot at him after the superstar told him to ‘f*** off’, says Becks[/caption]
In another revelation, former teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said it was his boot that did the damage — an eye injury Sir Alex claims was “stage managed”.
In new Netflix documentary Beckham — out today — David recalls begging with Sir Alex to let him stay at United instead of leaving for Spanish giants Real Madrid.
The boot incident — which prompted The Sun’s famous Fergie Decks Becks front page — occurred following an FA Cup fifth round tie against Arsenal on February 15, 2003.
United lost 2-0 to their main rivals, with hopes of a domestic Double or Treble ended.
Beckham tells the documentary makers: “We walked in the changing room and the boss is fuming. I can see it by his face.
“And when you see the boss’s face like this, you don’t want to be anywhere near him. It is a face that no one can do, trust me.
“[He was f’ing and blinding] and I went back at the boss and said ‘no’ and then I swore. I said the f- word. And then I saw him change, and I was like, ‘S***, I really shouldn’t have said that’. I think I said the f-word too many times.”
Talking to camera, Sir Alex explains: “I kicked the boot at his head. I mean, honestly, it was an absolute freak.”
He then accuses the resulting media fall-out — featuring pictures of David’s reported stitches — as being “stage managed”.
Asked about the photos, he shoots back: “Yeah I’m not going to talk about that. The only thing I will say is that I think that was stage managed. It wasn’t even worth a stitch.”
Elsewhere in the four-part documentary, ex-England captain Beckham reveals his heartache at being released by his boyhood club.
And he claims Sir Alex refused to take his calls. He recalls phoning the Manchester United offices and asking, “Can I speak to the boss?” and being told, “No, he doesn’t want to talk to you.”
Becks explains: “And I said, ‘I need to speak to the boss, I need to know this is really what he wants’ and I pleaded to not go. I couldn’t get in contact with the boss. Did I ever want to leave Man United? No, never.
“It was my home. My relationship with the boss was always special. We had our moments, but I still loved him.”
Sir Alex adds: “I think the relationship was at a stalemate.
“There was not going to be any point in me saying to David, ‘I’m selling you’. The decision was made, it was better he went. He didn’t need to go. He could have stayed if he wanted. I think he knew it was the right time.”
David also recalled clashing with Sir Alex over his rising celebrity status — and his relationship with Victoria, who he married in 1999.
He said: “I knew my career was going to come to an end at some point and I wanted a career after football — that ate away at the manager.
“He just wanted me to be the best footballer that I could be and be married to a local girl that wasn’t a superstar.”
Netflix/BECKHAMSir Alex recalls the controversial incident in the Netflix doc[/caption]
Getty Images – GettyThe legendary Man Utd manager said: ‘I think the relationship was at a stalemate’[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
