Former Real Madrid star David Beckham has this week revealed that he rejected a potential move to Barcelona, to instead pen terms with arch rivals Real Madrid.
English football icon Beckham of course secured an altogether high-profile move to Spain with Real Madrid back in 2003.
Brought in as part of the Galácticos revolution at the Santiago Bernabéu, the now-50-year-old went on to line out for Los Blancos for four years, securing a La Liga title and Spanish Super Cup along the way.
And yet, had things played out just a little differently, Beckham could have found himself lining out on the other side of the Clásico divide.
As much was confirmed by the ex-Manchester United standout himself this week.
Speaking during an appearance on CBS Sports, as cited by Diario AS, Beckham recalled a phone call on the part of then-Man United director Peter Kenyon, during which he was told that the Red Devils had accepted an offer for his signature from Barcelona.
The midfielder, however, put his foot down, adamant that he would only depart Old Trafford for the bright lights of Real Madrid:
“My team had always been Real Madrid. And it’s funny to see that I was sold from Manchester United to Barcelona. I was on vacation and Peter Kenyon called me and told me they’d accepted an offer from Barcelona. And I said, ‘If you’re going to sell me, the only club I’m willing to move to is Real Madrid.’ I’d always dreamed of playing for Madrid, ever since I was a kid. I didn’t think I was going to leave United, but if I had to, I wanted it to be to go to Madrid. And if United wanted me to go, it had to be to go to Madrid. They had to back out of everything. In a day and a half, it was done and undone.”
Conor Laird – GSFN
