David Beckham agrees with Sir Alex Ferguson’s assessment that he was not a “world-class” player. The former Manchester United manager’s latest autobiography includes a claim that he managed only four players deserving of that description during his long Old Trafford reign. Former England captain Beckham was a notable absentee from a list which comprised of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Eric Cantona.
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Asked if he was “insulted” by his omission, Beckham told BBC News: “Not at all.”
“I played for the greatest manager of all time for the amount of time that I did, I was lucky to play with the players I did and be successful with the club that I loved and still love.
“I tend to agree with the manager. There’s certain players that you can call world-class, thankfully I played with many of them.
“I’m proud as a Manchester United player that we were successful and I’m proud as a Manchester United player that we have the best players come to our team.”
Beckham spent the first 11 years of his 20-year career under Ferguson at Old Trafford, winning six league titles, two FA Cups and one UEFA Champions League while with Manchester United. He left the club in 2006 for Real Madrid and went on to play for the LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, earning four more league titles.
In 2009, Beckham played his final game for the England national team, concluding an international career that featured 17 goals and 115 caps – the latter a record for English field players. He served as captain of the Three Lions from 2000 to 2006, including during the team’s appearances at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.
World Soccer Talk contributed to this report.
