2 weeks Ago By Rob Swan
David Beckham was benched for the famous Champions League quarter-final clash between Man Utd and Real Madrid, leading to his frustration. Despite being subbed on in the second half and scoring twice, Beckham couldn't prevent Man Utd from being eliminated. Zindine Zidane approached Beckham after the match and the Englishman has since revealed what the French icon said to him.
Remember when football icons David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane were seen in conversation following the famous Champions League quarter-final clash between Manchester United and the La Liga juggernauts in 2003? The footage of the pair in dialogue spread around the newspapers like wildfire as every fan, journalist and player attempted to learn what was spoken about. In one of the most memorable games in Champions League history, the now 13-time Premier League champions secured a 4-3 victory in front of their home fans at Old Trafford but were eliminated after losing the two-legged tie 6-5 on aggregate. Real Madrid had secured a relatively comfortable 3-1 win over Sir Alex Ferguson’s side in the first leg at the Bernabeu.
From David Beckham's curling free-kicks to Roberto Carlos' dagger of a left foot, here are the greatest set piece takers in history. Ferguson made the shock decision to drop Beckham to the substitutes’ bench for the second leg in Greater Manchester, instead opting for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the right wing for the Red Devils. The stubborn Scotsman's relationship with his star player was already strained by this point and Beckham, by his own admission, was fuming after being benched for the team’s most important game of the season.
In the wake of his side's exit from Europe's top table, all people could talk about was the legendary pair's conversation - but what exactly was said between Beckham and Zidane? It's a clip that did the rounds for years following the incident with plenty of figures speculating over the contents of the discussion, but all was revealed by the former in his Netflix documentary - named 'Beckham' - when it was released in October 2023. Beckham Impressed Zidane with Dazzling Cameo The ex- England captain, who was capped by the Three Lions on 115 occasions, was subbed on in the second half, shortly after Ronaldo Nazario had completed his stunning hat-trick for the visitors, and scored twice after entering the fray - including one of his trademark free-kicks. However, it wasn’t enough to prevent United from being dumped out of Europe’s premier cup competition.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: At Real Madrid, Beckham and Zidane played 102 times - equating to 7.512 minutes - alongside one another and combined for five goals. Beckham ended up leaving Man Utd weeks later, signing a four-year deal with Real Madrid and becoming the club’s latest Galactico in the process.
As well as Ronaldo, one of the best strikers in football history , Los Blancos also had Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo, Raul, and the aforementioned Zidane - the man widely regarded as the world’s best footballer at the time. Zidane and Beckham's Post-Match Conversation Revealed While Zidane, who’d scored arguably the greatest goal in Champions League final history during the previous season’s final against Bayer Leverkusen, was overshadowed by Ronaldo during the game at Old Trafford, he still played a key role for the Spanish giants - and may have helped Real Madrid sign Beckham that night, too. In his fascinating four-part Netflix documentary, 20 years after the iconic moment, Becks has revealed exactly what was said during that post-match chat with Zidane where they exchanged shirts.
It’s a conversation that Beckham will never forget - and you can watch the video in full below . “Zidane came up to me. And he doesn’t speak so much English, Zizou.
He doesn’t really say too much - ever. He came up to me, shook hands, and went: ‘You come to Madrid?’. I was like, did Zizou just say that? I love that moment.
” Beckham's Move to Los Blancos It was abundantly clear that Beckham didn’t want to leave Manchester United, his boyhood club, but once Ferguson had made up his mind to sell, that was it. The club had actually agreed a deal with Barcelona but Beckham, if he was to leave Old Trafford against his wishes, wanted his destination to be his decision - and he only had eyes for one club. With Zidane’s words still fresh in Beckham’s mind, it was Los Blancos who duly secured the services of the world’s most marketable footballer.
The global superstar ended up spending the next four seasons with the La Liga outfit, winning one league title and the Spanish Super Cup, before embarking on a new adventure with LA Galaxy in 2007. David Beckham's Playing Career Years Club 1992-2003 Manchester United 1995 Preston North End (Loan) 2003-2007 Real Madrid 2007-2012 LA Galaxy 2009 AC Milan (Loan) 2010 AC Milan (Loan) 2013 Paris Saint-Germain Beckham remains friends with Zidane now. The pair were seen together at Inter Miami and posed for a photo alongside Lionel Messi , who joined Beckham’s ever-flourishing MLS franchise in the summer of 2023, sending the club into superstardom thanks to the Argentine's influence.
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