The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 51 The Courage of a London Child

"It is 320 kilometers from London to Manchester. This is the most difficult decision for 13-year-old David. But it is the easiest choice for Beckham to move from Tottenham to Manchester.

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Ferguson was very happy to recruit Giggs.

In 1988, another kid who grew up in London also came to the Red Devils and was successfully recruited into the youth training camp by Ferguson. He was David Beckham.

Beckham was born on May 1975, 5 in an ordinary family in Leytonstone, East London, England. Beckham became fascinated with football at the age of 2, and joined the amateur team coached by his father, Redville Worth, at the age of 5. Although shorter than most children, Beckham is very talented. He is much better than his opponents in the children's team. With his small stature, he can get in and out of the crowd and score goals and assists as easily as cutting melons and vegetables. Beckham won the "Field" 7-a-side football championship on behalf of Redville Wanderers when he was in primary school, and he was already famous in London at the age of 5.

Scouts from several London football clubs such as Arsenal, Tottenham, West Ham United and Wimbledon came to him hoping to recruit him.

David's parents chose Tottenham Hotspur for him, and Beckham began training at the Tottenham Hotspur Youth Camp. Beckham later said in an interview: "I am a loyal fan of the Red Devils and I want to play for the Red Devils. But I was too young to leave London by myself. My parents wanted me to receive training nearby first and then consider the next step."

Despite joining the Tottenham youth team, Beckham did not change his love for the Red Devils. While training, Beckham actively collected everything related to the Red Devils. He knew all the current players of the Red Devils, and the one he admired most was the legendary captain Robson. Beckham not only imitated Robson's movements in training, but also imitated Robson's speech. Beckham sometimes ignored the club's ban and secretly put on the Red Devils jersey to participate in training. This is exactly the same as Giggs, who also risks being scolded by Tottenham's youth training team coach.

Beckham said: "Since I can remember, it has been my dream to play for the Red Devils. I used to lie in bed at night surrounded by Red Devils posters and the bedspread was also the official Red Devils product. Unfortunately, my home is in London instead of Manchester. The long distance makes me depressed. I often worry: this club that has always been in my mind, is it possible to find a little boy from south London who is dreaming of playing at Old Trafford?"

Beckham tried hard to establish contact with the Red Devils. In 1986, the Red Devils legend Bobby Charlton and the English Football Association jointly held a selection competition, and Beckham immediately signed up. With his outstanding performance, Beckham won the skills event of the competition and was rewarded with a visit to Barcelona for training. Beckham made full use of his Red Devils complex. He treasured the photo and prize presented by Charlton to him, and circled around Mark Hughes, the former Red Devils striker, like a little bee, sending sincere blessings to "Sparks", "I have always loved you very much, uncle! I will never forget those wonderful goals you scored in the Red Devils, and I sincerely hope you can come back to play!"

Beckham was 11 years old that year.

After returning to London, Beckham was eagerly waiting for a call from the Red Devils scout. In the end, the call did not come, but it was the Red Devils scout, Malcolm Fikean. Beckham was so excited that he shed tears, which made Malcolm, who met him for the first time, overwhelmed and thought he had done something to scare the child.

At this time, Ferguson had already come to coach the Red Devils and he soon received a scout report. Malcolm strongly suggested that the Red Devils recruit this little beet. Ferguson agreed very much. He believed that a child like Beckham who had a special feeling for the Red Devils should be sought after even if the journey was long.

Ferguson quickly instructed the Red Devils youth training camp to send Beckham a trial invitation and arrange matches specifically for him.

Beckham immediately came to participate in the trial match. He had a very solid foundation, was very active in running, and passed the ball accurately. He was very powerful on the wing. He had a rare overall view at a very young age and left a good impression on Ferguson.

Ferguson also had his own concerns. "This kid is too skinny and too gentle. He doesn't seem to be very active in the confrontation. Will he not be able to meet the standards of the Red Devils?"

Harrison, the Red Devils youth training coach, was very confident. "This is a good seedling. He is not afraid of confrontation, but it is a normal reaction to being in an unfamiliar environment. We must keep him. His body, speed and strength can be trained. This child is very self-conscious and has strong tactical ability. He has unlimited development potential!"

Ferguson personally called Beckham's home to praise his talent and performance. After a conversation, he learned that Beckham's love for the Red Devils originated from his father. The coach of this amateur team and a football enthusiast has always been a die-hard fan of the Red Devils.

Ferguson was determined to get Beckham to join Manchester United. In order to solve the difficulties of Beckham's living alone in Manchester at such a young age, he specially convened the staff of the Manchester United Youth Department to hold a meeting to study and make specific arrangements.

The meeting was brief but intense. Some people suggested giving up, thinking that Beckham was not tall enough, too thin, and lacked absolute speed, and it would be difficult for him to adapt to high-intensity competitions, and it was not worth paying more for him; but Harrison and others were very determined, "No matter what, we must not miss such a beautiful jade, he is definitely a rare talent!"

Ferguson agreed with Harrison and quickly made arrangements.

Ferguson asked Malcolm to visit Beckham's family regularly and instructed the youth training camp to regularly invite Beckham to the Cliff base for training, even sending a special car to pick him up. Whenever the Red Devils came to London to play, Ferguson would always invite Beckham to watch the game. In order to increase the attraction, Ferguson would directly let Robson and Beckham sit together to watch the game and explain the tactics and changes in the situation on the court to him.

Beckham couldn't believe it. The idol he had looked up to since childhood was right next to him and was kindly explaining the progress of the game to him. What kind of VIP treatment was this?

Ferguson also instructed the club to give Beckham various training equipment, and he personally gave Beckham a jersey.

Beckham was so touched that he gave Ferguson a pen in return. Ferguson accepted the pen and said to Beckham very seriously: "Thank you, David, I will use this pen to sign a contract with you."

This makes Beckham very much looking forward to it.

At the age of 13, Beckham was finally able to officially sign a contract with the team.

Beckham wanted to go to Manchester United, but London and Manchester were too far apart. A 13-year-old child was not allowed to live alone, and Beckham's parents could not give up their jobs in London. Manchester United could let Beckham live with a host family, but it could not solve the problem of his parents' work. It seemed that Tottenham was almost the only choice, even if his father was a staunch Manchester United fan, but the reality was too difficult.

Tottenham and the Red Devils, reality and ideal, seem to be separated by a huge gap.

Beckham had no choice but to follow his family's advice and join a London team first, play football and then think about the future. He and his father went to meet the then Tottenham coach, Venables, who had just returned from Spain. Venables didn't pay much attention to the two guests at the time. He casually asked the clerk who brought Beckham in: "John, what do you want to tell me about this boy?"

"David wants to join our academy. This lad is outstanding and we will sign him and make him part of our academy."

"Just ask the youth team coach to handle this kind of thing. I don't have time to deal with these trivial matters!"

Tottenham Hotspur actually had people who knew what they were talking about, and they eventually made a very generous offer: a five-year contract now, with Beckham going to school and training for the next two years, training with the youth team for the next two years, and then turning professional. Tottenham Hotspur's contract was very tempting, and Beckham could continue to train and grow at Tottenham Hotspur until he became a professional player.

Officer John even joked, "David, as long as you become a professional player here, you can buy a Porsche sports car when you are 18 years old!"

But Beckham hesitated, mainly because of the head coach. Venables had no impression of him at all, and his arrogant attitude made Beckham very uneasy about the future. Beckham's father was even more indignant: "This guy has no respect for people. You have been training here for a long time, but he doesn't know you at all. We can't join such a team. They don't take you seriously at all."

This is such a huge difference compared to Ferguson!

Beckham decided to go to Manchester for a try. He was very confused at that time. "Salary? Porsche? I didn't think too much about these. I hope Ferguson can give me a promise, preferably a contract. The Red Devils are eager to recruit talents? But my situation is very special. It is impossible for me to sign up for training far away from London. They may have to negotiate with my parents on how to arrange my accommodation and guardianship. There are many issues involved and the responsibility is heavy. It is not easy to solve."

The day he went to the Red Devils was May 1988, 5, which was Beckham’s 2th birthday.

The Red Devils were playing against Wimbledon at home that day. Ferguson arranged for Beckham to invite his family to watch the game and greeted them at the stadium gate: "David, happy birthday! Welcome to watch our game, and welcome your family to the Red Devils. After we finish the game, I have something important to discuss with you."

After the game, Ferguson, Harrison, and the youth training camp's director of life, Les Kossau, met with the Beckham family. Ferguson said straight to the point, "I'm very glad you can come. Let's talk about the contract now. We want to sign David. From now on, two years, two years, and two more years. We promise to arrange David's life in Manchester, and he will have a special life assistant." He deliberately shook the pen given by Beckham, smiling and indicating that he still remembered the agreement.

Overwhelmed by the great joy, Beckham's eyes lit up and he stared at his family with sparkling eyes, fearing that things would change in any way.

Ferguson explained the contract terms in detail. What satisfied the Beckham family was that the salary and treatment promised by the Red Devils were much better than those of Tottenham. Ferguson promised to arrange a host family for Beckham near the training base to take care of him. Not only that, Ferguson also promised to arrange to pick up Beckham's parents to the club regularly to visit their child's life and growth.

Beckham's parents were very satisfied and the signing was completed smoothly.

Beckham was still overwhelmed when he recalled this moment many years later. "I couldn't believe it. Ferguson's good news shocked me. I have been waiting for this moment. This is my dream and the best time since I was 13 years old!"

Beckham said: "It's a dream come true. Joining the Red Devils is my best birthday gift! I became a member of the Red Devils and can finally play for the team I love all my life. I am so happy that I can't think about anything else."

In this way, Ferguson signed Beckham in 1988, his third year as coach of the Red Devils.

In this way, Beckham made his most important decision. At a young age, he came to Manchester with courage and started a new life.