SENOR BECKS
FourFourTwo UK|Summer 2023
David Beckham's seismic move to Real Madrid in 2003 seemed like a match made in heaven - and at first, it was. But when managerial madness rocked Los Blancos, Becks faced down the nightmare the only way he knew how...
- Ed McCambridge,Dani Gil
SENOR BECKS

Beneath the floodlights on a stormy night at Old Trafford, Manchester United's No.7 draws a breath, 30 yards from goal. The scoreboard reads: Manchester United 4 Real Madrid 3. Still trailing on aggregate, United need this free-kick to go in, plus one more goal in stoppage time, if they're to reach the semi-finals of the 2002-03 Champions League.

He's already put two goals past Madrid's Iker Casillas, including, in his own words, "the best free-kick of my United career". A hat-trick would make his 60th-minute introduction seem even more misguided.

The trademark run-up commences, left arm arcing into the night sky. His adidas Predator boot strikes leather. A stadium holds its breath...

Illuminated only by a television screen, he watches the moment back, four hours later, on the sofa of his family home.

This free-kick, unfortunately, sails over the crossbar and disappears into the Stretford End. "F**king hell," he sighs. "If only..."

But then he spots something among the highlights that makes his blood run cold. The cameras have panned to the Old Trafford bench, where his manager of the past decade, Sir Alex Ferguson, realises the tie is now lost. The Scot glares at his player with a look of unmasked contempt.

"That face told me everything I needed to know," Beckham later recalled. "It was over. He wanted me out."

From the day Ferguson called the Beckham family home in 1986 to invite an 11-year-old future England captain to train with United, the youngster had been in awe of his mentor. "He was the man who'd made everything possible for me," he reflected. "The father figure in what had become a second family."

この蚘事は FourFourTwo UK の Summer 2023 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は FourFourTwo UK の Summer 2023 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

FOURFOURTWO UKのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
How Liverpool have changed under new manager Arne Slot
FourFourTwo UK

How Liverpool have changed under new manager Arne Slot

The Reds have had to adapt to life without their legendary boss Jurgen Klopp, But their new managers tactical tweaks showed highly promising early signs

time-read
2 分  |
December 2024
Why Cole Palmer is an absolute genius on a football pitch
FourFourTwo UK

Why Cole Palmer is an absolute genius on a football pitch

Chelsea’s attacking star attracts plenty of mirth for his interviews, but he often displays unrivalled intelligence in the heat of Premier League action

time-read
3 分  |
December 2024
CORINTHIANS X SENNA 2018-19
FourFourTwo UK

CORINTHIANS X SENNA 2018-19

Kit connoisseur Phil Delves looks back at an ultimate 'collab shirt' from South America - one that heralded a black and gold craze

time-read
3 分  |
December 2024
"THE MISSILE SIRENS WOULD START DURING TRAINING, SO WE'D HAVE TO GO INSIDE AND TAKE COVER"
FourFourTwo UK

"THE MISSILE SIRENS WOULD START DURING TRAINING, SO WE'D HAVE TO GO INSIDE AND TAKE COVER"

The Welsh international striker recalls growing up in Africa, humiliation at Derby and air strikes in Israel, not to mention a certain hat-tricks record...

time-read
5 分  |
December 2024
"I SWAPPED SHIRTS WITH ETO'O AFTER MY DEBUT HE PROBABLY USED MINE ON HIS WINDOWS"
FourFourTwo UK

"I SWAPPED SHIRTS WITH ETO'O AFTER MY DEBUT HE PROBABLY USED MINE ON HIS WINDOWS"

The lifelong Magpie opens up about earning Sir Bobby’s trust, his new career in the Middle East, and how Ruud van Nistelrooy knew I wanted to kick him”

time-read
5 分  |
December 2024
"SVEN GOT IN TOUCH TO SEE IF I'D BE KEEN ON PLAYING FOR ENGLAND THAT MADE ME SO PROUD"
FourFourTwo UK

"SVEN GOT IN TOUCH TO SEE IF I'D BE KEEN ON PLAYING FOR ENGLAND THAT MADE ME SO PROUD"

The former Italian shot-stopper tells FourFourTwo about following in his father’s footsteps at Milan and the game that changed Chelsea forever...

time-read
5 分  |
December 2024
Why Thomas Tuchel is the perfect fit for the England job
FourFourTwo UK

Why Thomas Tuchel is the perfect fit for the England job

The new gaffer might not have been born and bred in Barnsley, but he’s long proved himself to be particularly astute in high-profile knockout competitions

time-read
3 分  |
December 2024
GREEN SHOOTS
FourFourTwo UK

GREEN SHOOTS

Less than two years ago, Saint-Etienne were at real risk of relegation to the semi-professional third tier - unthinkable for a club who were the finest in France throughout the 1960s and '70s. Now Les Verts are back in the big time following last term's Ligue 2 play-off success. Oh, and they're also billionaires...

time-read
10+ 分  |
December 2024
Why I love Scottish football
FourFourTwo UK

Why I love Scottish football

The legendary goal-getter recounts his strangest tales, featuring Graeme Souness punch-ups, broken sofas, Duncan Ferguson's errant pigeon and, of course, Gazza...

time-read
10+ 分  |
December 2024
A MATCH WITH THE MONKS THE GREATEST COMPETITION PRIZE EVER
FourFourTwo UK

A MATCH WITH THE MONKS THE GREATEST COMPETITION PRIZE EVER

A globe-trotting FourFourTwo has gone beyond even Tanzania’s borders this month. American fan Matthew Eide of the Far Away Football blog ventured to equally mountainous Bhutan, after winning the most unusual of raffles...

time-read
4 分  |
December 2024