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David Beckham Recalls Sir Alex Ferguson Snatching No. 10 From Him Despite ‘One of the Best Seasons’

Published 11/08/2023, 2:20 AM EST

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David Beckham has a lot of good memories of his playing career at Manchester United. The soccer fans also loved his father-son relationship with the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. They played an important role in helping the club win trophies. Amidst the happy moments, there were a few uncomfortable and awkward ones too. In a recent interview, Beckham remembered the time when Ferguson snatched the iconic #10 shirt from him despite having a brilliant season.

This is one of many incidents that signifies that all Ferguson’s players including Beckham had immense respect for the Scottish soccer manager. They knew Sir Alex Ferguson would have made a certain decision for a particular reason. Hence, they accepted it as it was.

David Beckham speaks about when Sir Alex Ferguson took away his #10 jersey

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David Beckham had an amazing 1996-97 season with the No.10 shirt. He scored 12 goals and provided 11 assists for the Red Devils. It was his only season, in which he had double figures in terms of goals and assists. In that season, he also helped Manchester United win the Premier League title. Overall, that season was one of his best seasons ever. Despite this, he revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson told him that he would not wear the No.10 shirt for the following season. The legendary manager conveyed this to the soccer icon on a simple call.

In a recent interview, he recalled the incident and said, “It was amazing because one of the players I always looked up to was Mark Hughes. So for me to wear number 10 was very special and I remember being on holiday in Malta and my phone ringing. And we just signed Teddy Sheringham and it was ‘Hi, it’s the boss’, and I was like okay boss, this is something different”.

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Beckham continued, “He said ‘We’re signing Teddy Sheringham, we’re taking the number 10′. And I was like ‘No boss, I had a great season in this number 10’. (Ferguson replied) ‘Nope, doesn’t matter, see you in a few weeks, David’, and that was it, the number 10 got taken off of me in one of the best seasons I’d ever had. But when I arrived back to training the boss said ‘By the way, you’ve got number seven’, and I was like (breathes sigh of relief)”. That was quite an unexpected twist to the story in the end.

David Beckham has always loved his time at Manchester United under Alex Ferguson. The former England international in several interviews has also said that he would love to return to the club in some capacity.

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Beckham never closed his door to a Manchester United return

David Beckham has remained occupied after retiring from playing soccer. He is busy with his role as an owner of MLS club Inter Miami and his other ventures in different industries. Despite that, he has never forgotten his love for Manchester United. He has remained open to a return to the Red Devils. During the Qatari ownership rumors, there were links to an ambassador role with the Red Devils. The Manchester United icon had also spoken against the Glazers. He mainly spoke about the current situation of the club.

He said, “Man United will always be Man United, they will always be one of the biggest clubs in the world. Now we need to get back to that for the fans, the players, the coaching staff, and the manager because at the moment there’s no stability. We need to get the talk back on the field, rather than off it.”

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This clearly shows that former players like David Beckham and others are more than ready to help. So the big question is, when will Manchester United actually get taken over by a new buyer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Watch this story: 6 Days After Cristiano Ronaldo Ended Lionel Messi Rivalry, Jimmy Butler Reignites GOAT Debate, Bringing In Close Friend Neymar Jr.

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Written by:

Anuj Nikhil Virjiani

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Anuj Virjiani is a soccer writer at Essentially Sports. With a fervent passion for the sport, especially the English Premier League, Anuj has meticulously cultivated his expertise in dissecting the game's technical intricacies and strategic nuances, both on and off the field. Anuj's cherished club is, interestingly, Newcastle United, and he has closely followed and analyzed the club's journey through its highs and lows, and enjoyed witnessing their triumphant promotion from the second tier, their recent takeover, and the remarkable qualification for the Champions League last season.
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