“It hit him right above the eye” - When Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson opened up on incident where he kicked boot at David Beckham

Legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson once opened up on his bust-up with former Red Devil and England captain David Beckham. The Scot claimed that the boot that he kicked at the Englishman's head almost blinded him in the left eye.

Beckham made his debut under Ferguson in the 1990s and soon established himself as one of the best midfielders of his generation. He went on to become a United legend, racking up 85 goals and 121 assists in 394 appearances across all competitions.

While Sir Alex did give Beckham his breakthrough, the pair weren't on the best of terms in the later stages of the latter's Manchester United tenure. In the early 2000s, Beckham had become a global sensation and a fashion icon, which got the Scottish tactician questioning his commitment to football.

After a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in the fifth round of the 2002-03 FA Cup, the pair's tiff took an ugly turn when Sir Alex launched a boot at Beckham's head. In his autobiography, the 13-time EPL-winning manager reminisced about the incident in its entirety.

Alex wrote (via Manchester Evening News):

"In his final season with us, we were aware that David's work rate was dropping and we had heard rumours of a flirtation between Real Madrid and David's camp. The main issue was that his application level had dropped from its traditionally stratospheric level."

"He was around 12 feet from me. Between us on the floor lay a row of boots. David swore. I moved towards him, and as I approached I kicked a boot. It hit him right above the eye. Of course he rose to have a go at me and the players stopped him. 'Sit down,' I said. 'You've let your team down. You can argue as much as you like.'"

"The minute a Manchester United player thought he was bigger than the manager, he had to go. I used to say, 'The moment the manager loses his authority, you don't have a club. The players will be running it, and then you're in trouble'," Sir Alex concluded.

The damage that the incident had done was irreversible, as the 115-time England international departed Old Trafford to join Real Madrid in the summer of 2003.

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"I really shouldn't have said that" - When Manchester United legend David Beckham gave his perspective on the kicked boot incident with Sir Alex Ferguson

After legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson reminisced about the time he kicked a boot at Red Devils hero David Beckham, the latter delivered his own perspective on the incident.

In his Netflix documentary, which was released in October 2023, the 49-year-old said (via Manchester Evening News):

"We walked in the changing room and the boss is fuming. I can see it by his face. And when you see the boss’s face like this, you don’t want to be anywhere near him. It is a face that no one can do, trust me. I went back at the boss and said 'no' and then I swore. I said the f-word. And then I saw him change, and I was like, 'S***, I really shouldn’t have said that.'"

After retirement, Beckham took over as a co-owner of MLS expansion side Inter Miami and played an important part in bringing Argentine maestro Lionel Messi to Florida in 2023.