David Beckham played for Real Madrid for three years and one former Madrid star has revealed what the Englishman was really like when he was living in the city
Right now, the Beckham family is fractured. Brooklyn released a bombshell statement which detailed a plethora of issues he has with his family and even stated that he does not want to reconcile with them.
However, 23 years ago, things were very different. Dad David had just signed for Real Madrid from Manchester United in a dream move for the then 28-year-old. With Victoria, he had two young boys in Brooklyn and Romeo, just four and one at the time. The Beckham dynasty had started in what would be one of the most iconic couples and families in the celebrity world.
Beckham was under huge pressure to deliver in Spain and although he enjoyed success in Madrid, ultimately he never truly hit the heights expected of him, eventually moving to LA Galaxy in America before loan spells with AC Milan – though he is remembered fondly.
Former Los Blancos star Michel Salgado was in charge of “babysitting” Beckham at Madrid and revealed how the England international ended up pissing off his wife.
FOLLOW OUR REAL MADRID FB PAGE!** Latest news and more on our dedicated Facebook page**
“I was the one to babysit David Beckham,” said Salgado on the League of Legends show: “I did it a lot. It’s because I was the only one to speak English.
READ MORE: Victoria Beckham’s key to staying in shape at 51 available in Tesco for £2READ MORE: ‘I was there’ Brooklyn Beckham’s wedding guest responds to Beckham’s bombshell post
“But it was great with Beckham. He was alone in Madrid because his wife was travelling a lot, living in LA and England. So he would call me every day, saying ‘let’s go out’.
“And my wife was really p***ed off with the situation – but it was a great time.”
However, Beckham wasn’t the only player that Salgado had the responsibility of looking after. Former Liverpool wide man Steve McManaman, who played for the club for four years, was also helped along the way by ex-Blackburn Rovers ace Salgado.
“I remember in my first day at Real Madrid pre-season,” continued Salgado. “At that time, we were sharing rooms – and they said ‘you’re sharing with the English guy, Steven McManaman’.
“So I was like ‘oh my god, why’. They said ‘because you’re the only one who speaks English’. But in the end, it was great. I was the one to babysit the English guys.”
Being bored in Madrid wasn’t the only thing Beckham had to deal with. Speaking in his Netflix documentary ‘Beckham’, he spoke of his relationship with Fabio Capello.
“He was like a tough, strict manager, which I loved. He made me nervous and I don’t get nervous,” he said.
Beckham continued, identifying a time where Capello began to drop him regularly: “He benched both of us (Ronaldo, too) It killed me. At that point I wasn’t sure of my future at Real Madrid.”
Beckham’s situation then saw him linked to LA Galaxy, with the England legend recalling: “On Monday morning, Capello called me into his office and said ‘I heard you’re talking to other clubs, you will never play for Real Madrid again’. Obviously at that point I was very upset.”
