Ryan Giggs has revealed David Beckham was sold to Real Madrid in 2003 by Manchester United because he was “arguing every week” and “it was getting too much”.
The likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Jaap Stam were all sold after disagreements with the boss Sir Alex Ferguson but the then 28-year-old Beckham was perhaps the most high profile departure when he switched to Los Blancos for £25million.
And Giggs reckons the split was best for everyone involved when it finally happened.
When asked about the former Red Devils boss' tendency to axe big names, the Welshman told beIN SPORTS: “I think the majority of the time it was for football reasons.
“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 really and it was just time for both parties to move and that happened on a few occasions.”
Beckham enjoyed a successful spell at the Bernabeu, winning La Liga once before heading off to the MLS.
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In his 2013 autobiography, Ferguson said: “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.”
This article was most recently revised and updated 5 years ago