In a new documentary, Manchester United legends say that Sir Alex Ferguson was irritated by David and Victoria Beckham’s relationship.
The Netflix series ‘Beckham’, which premiered on Wednesday, October 4, explores Beckham’s career on and off the pitch, including his relationship with Spice Girls vocalist Victoria.
The celebrity pair, who met in 1997 after ‘Posh Spice’ attended one of his Manchester United matches with Mel C, announced they were engaged a year later and married in July 1999.
Because they were both high-profile celebrities before dating, ‘Posh and Becks’ received a lot of notoriety and media attention, which reportedly irritated Ferguson during the early stages of their relationship.
The manager believed David’s relationship with Victoria had ‘changed’ him as a footballer, since he was more concerned with his celebrity status than his performance on the field for Manchester United.
The relationship of David and Victoria Beckham used to ‘p*** off’ Sir Alex Ferguson (above), according to a new documentary about the former Manchester United and England star.
Celebrity couple David and Victoria Beckham announced their engagement in January 1998
According to ex-Manchester United star Paul Scholes (above), Ferguson thought that David’s relationship with Victoria was ‘affecting his football’ as he rose to incredible levels of fame
Former team-mate Paul Scholes said: ‘His relationship with Victoria was p***ing the manager off. He thought it was affecting his football.’
Meanwhile, fellow Red Devils icon Paul Ince revealed how Ferguson used to do background checks on his players’ love lives, eager for them to be in ‘stable’ relationships.
‘Sir Alex liked you to be stable. He looked at your background. Didn’t want you to be out partying every night,’ Ince said.
Globally known as ‘Posh and Becks’, the popular celebrity couple were continually followed by paparazzi during the late 1990s
When asked about their relationship with, Ferguson admitted: ‘He changed, there’s no doubt about that – and all the media and celebrity attention was different from what I wanted.’
The Manchester United star, who went on to become a pivotal player for Ferguson during his trophy-laden years at Old Trafford, never always saw eye to eye with his manager, as he was always keen to express his individualism.
According to his former team-mate Gary Neville, the ex-England star was never happy ‘just being a footballer’.
‘We were destroying teams down the right-hand side. Him with his crossing – I was more of a side dish really! It was telepathic,’ Neville said.
‘Off the pitch as well, I knew where he was in his mind. It wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to be more than a footballer.’
Although he had already landed huge deals with global brands such as Adidas, David’s relationship with Victoria pushed him into a new realm of fame.
Neville added: ‘The noise around David and Victoria was massive. And Sir Alex just never liked that.’
Sharing an anecdote from his early years at United, Beckham said: ‘(Sir Alex) wanted me to go with an agent he liked and I wanted to go with a different agent.
The footballer landed several deals with brands such as Adidas during his time at Old Trafford
‘He went absolutely mental. To the point where he wanted nothing to do with me. He wouldn’t come up and talk to me, even.’
Despite at times locking horns with his manager, Beckham admitted that Ferguson was like a father figure to him and was extremely supportive during difficult times in his career.
Beckham was branded the villain of England’s 1998 World Cup exit after lashing out at former Argentina star Diego Simeone, receiving a reckless red card during the crucial last-16 clash.
English fans and media condemned and vilified Beckham throughout the following season, as the documentary reveals he was spat at in the streets, booed at in the stadiums and even the subject of death threats.
The footballer admitted that both Ferguson and his now wife were instrumental in helping him through the incredibly challenging year.
The England midfielder faced extreme backlash from fans and the media after receiving a red card during England’s bitter penalty-shootout defeat against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup
Ferguson and Beckham shake hands after the midfielder signed a new contract with United in 2002.
‘It was such an emotionally draining season,’ Beckham explained. ‘I wouldn’t have made it without a club like Manchester United.
‘But Victoria was the main reason I made it through that time.’
Despite her support for him, Ferguson always regarded Victoria as a ‘distraction’.
‘He feared I was a distraction and would damage David’s job,’ she said.