Sir Alex Ferguson's boot strike accelerates David Beckham's Man Utd exit

Manchester United were a juggernaut at the turn of the millennium under Sir Alex Ferguson, but a boot brawl on this day in 2003 proved to be a decisive moment as David Beckham would leave Old Trafford four months later.

David Beckham spent 12 years at Manchester United after graduating from the academy as a member of the iconic Class of ’92.

It was Old Trafford where Beckham went from being a schoolboy talent to a global superstar, playing a role in the club’s most successful era.

Beckham’s decade in United’s first team saw him make 394 appearances, scoring 85 goals and registering 122 assists.

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The former England international, who recently received a knighthood, won everything at United. Beckham’s honours include six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and the Champions League in the Treble-winning season.

Beckham will go down as one of the best players to come through United’s academy.

23 years on from Sir Alex Ferguson’s boot incident with David Beckham

It was February 15, 2003, when a controversial incident accelerated Beckham’s departure from United.

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United suffered a 2-0 defeat in the FA Cup fifth round against Arsenal, thanks to goals from Edu and Sylvian Wiltord.

Ryan Giggs missed a glorious opportunity before Edu’s opener, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer struck the outside of the post.

It was Edu’s free-kick that took a deflection off Beckham’s shoulder before sending Fabien Barthez the wrong way.

Beckham, who would dominate the headlines after the match, was replaced by Nicky Butt in the 83rd minute. He was one of the main victims in the dressing room as Ferguson gave several members of the team the hairdryer treatment.

In a fit of rage, Ferguson kicked a football boot that was lying on the floor in the direction of Beckham, hitting the midfielder above his eye.

This led to a breakdown of relations between Beckham and Ferguson, prompting his transfer to Real Madrid four months later.

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What Mikel Silvestre said about ‘Bootgate’ between Sir Alex Ferguson and David Beckham

Mikel Silvestre was among Beckham’s teammates at United when the incident happened, so he saw it occur up close in the dressing room.

Speaking to FourFourTwo in the summer 2020 edition, Silvestre shared his witness account, saying: “Yes, I was there.

“Everyone was shocked, but things like this happen in dressing rooms. It was a random kick by the boss – it was just unfortunate that the boot went straight into Beckham’s face!”

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