Why Ferguson sold David Beckham to Real Madrid–Giggs

Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs says David Beckham’s move to Real Madrid was inevitable after the former England captain started arguing on a ‘weekly basis’ with Sir Alex Ferguson.

The former United winger swapped Old Trafford for the Bernabeu in 2003 for a fee of around £25million to bring his 15-year stay at the club to an end. Beckham’s final season at the club was marred by an incident after an FA Cup defeat to Arsenal in which Ferguson kicked a boot that hit the midfielder just above his eye.

Speculation over Beckham’s future went into overdrive but Giggs denies the moment was the deciding factor, insisting instead that the constant bickering between the pair was the main reason.

‘I think the majority of the time it was for football reasons,’ Giggs told BeIN Sport. ‘It was to get someone in or the player maybe losing that influence. Or it was just the time.

‘The likes of David Beckham it was getting too much, where he was arguing every other week and it was just time for both parties to move and that happened on a few occasions.’

Beckham admitted it took him ‘years’ to watch United games after leaving the club, despite being a boyhood supporter of the Red Devils.

read also; Beckham: How Messi Forced me Into Retirement

The midfielder’s relationship with Ferguson remained cold until the pair made up around 2010 when Beckham was on loan at AC Milan. They’ve since put their differences aside.