Regarded as one of England's greatest-ever footballers, David Beckham made headlines when he moved to Real Madrid in 2003, and the former Manchester United captain has now revealed how he snubbed FC Barcelona to make the move happen.
"I had heard rumours I might be sold," Beckham started.
"I was on holiday in the States with Victoria, and one of my friends called and told me it was on Sky Sports that United has agreed terms with Barcelona. I told him, 'that's not right I don't know anything about it'.
"I then flew back to London. I tried to speak to Peter Kenyon as well as the manager, but they said 'no'. I told them I needed to understand what was going on and they admitted a deal had been agreed with Barcelona.
"That's when I spoke to my agent and said, 'If I am going to move, I am going to move to Madrid'. Within a day, I sat with the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, and we agreed a deal."
Beckham, who is currently part-owner of MLS side Inter Miami, ultimately spent four seasons in Madrid, making 155 appearances, before going on to play for the likes of La Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.
