David Beckham, Sir Alex Ferguson and a number of other Manchester United legends have shed further light on the infamous ‘flying boot’ incident, often referred to as ‘Bootgate’, in the former footballers’ new self-titled Netflix documentary.
If you were a football fan in the early to mid-2000s, it didn’t matter whether you were a Man United fan or not: pretty much everyone and their nan heard about the time Sir Alex allegedly launched a boot at David Beckham‘s head during an argument in the dressing room at half-time.
Although it was initially reported that the manager threw the boot at him intentionally by the tabloids back of the day, the story continued to change over the years and the consensus eventually landed on the truth being that a frustrated kick of a stray boot accidentally hit the midfielder just above the eye.
The then 28-year-old was then pictured with a gash above his eye and ended up needing stitches. While the pair of them have talked about it independently in the past, Becks, Fergie and a number of ex-United stars who were present at the time have now gone into more detail on exactly how it went down.
As the United, Real Madrid and England legend goes on to recount the altercation as he remembers it: “We lost against Arsenal; we walked in the changing room and the boss is fuming, I can see by his face”.
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Being asked to recreate the face Ferguson used to make before one of his trademark and much-feared ‘hair-dryer’ rants, the 48-year-old tells interviewer and the documentary’s director, Fisher Stevens, that it’s simply an expression that no one can even come close to imitating.
Roping in old United kitman Albert Morgan and former teammate turned head coach himself, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, everyone gives their version of events, detailing how both Beckham and Ferguson were going back at forth at each other, exchanging expletives after the player disagreed with his manager’s criticism.
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After Gary Neville jokes that everyone who played under ‘the gaffer’ “told him to f*** once” but that they never did it again, they then explain how the manager kicked a pile of clothes on the floor and, in a freak accident, it turned out Solskjær’s boot was amongst them and it ultimately struck Beckham in the face.
As the clip teases, Beckham claims that tensions flared up even more after he drew blood and he even ended up having to be held back by his teammates
Admitting himself that it was a complete fluke and unintentional — Morgan quipping that “he couldn’t do it again if he tried” — Ferguson owned up to the accidental assault but has never backed down on being in the right in that argument.
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In fact, despite the footballing icon’s protests, the legendary United manager goes on to insist throughout the show that “David changed” after he became a celebrity, with the Netflix documentary doing a deep dive on everything meeting Victoria, his alleged affair with Rebecca Loos and more.
Another relatable married couple moment which viewers have been enjoying is how quick he was to call out the former Spice Girl on her fairly comfortable upbringing in comparison to his own. She was called ‘Posh’, after all.
Man United Women lift their first-ever FA Cup as Ella Toone stunner sets game alight
Danny Jones
Manchester United Women have won their first FA Cup in their history following a 4-0 thrashing at the expense of Spurs.
With neither team having ever won the cup before, it was always going to be a historical moment for one of them – we’re just glad it just happened to be the Mancs.
After an up-and-down season in the Women’s Super League, Marc Skinner’s side signed things off with a potentially job-saving piece of silverware following an impressive performance in front of an equally impressive record 76,082-strong Wembley crowd.
It all got started with an absolute stunner for Tyldesley’s very own Ella Toone, netting not only the opener but the club’s first-ever goal in an FA Cup final.
From that moment on, the floodgates were well and truly open, as Rachel Williams made up for an earlier miss with the crucial second goal.
Only moments later, fan favourite Lucía García made it three and in fine fashion, pretty much sealing the landmark victory in less than an hour.
It’s also worth noting that the female Devils controlled most of the possession throughout the game and showed what they have been capable of in spells this year.
And then came another for García, with the brace rounding off an absolute rout in the capital. Here was the moment they knew their name was on the trophy:
With a Manchester derby for the men’s team in just a couple of week’s time too, it could be a double and a much-needed one at that.
It’s fair to say Man United as a whole are a club very much still in flux but successfully bringing home silverware is what the fans have been crying out for in the post-Ferguson era.
Will the blokes get the business done on their end? We’ll see soon enough.
Featured Images — Man United Women/FA Cup/BBC Sport
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Manchester City Under 18s win the coveted FA Youth Cup in comfortable fashion
Danny Jones
TheManchester City Under 18s squad have won the prestigious FA Youth Cup in fine fashion after cruising past Leeds United 4-0.
The academy-level competition is one of the most highly revered trophies in the English youth ranks, with some of the greatest teams and legendary footballers having first shone on this stage, including the Class of ’92 as well as players like Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, Phil Foden and more.
Ben Wilkinson’s promising young side secured the youth title after a comfortable showing at the Etihad Stadium on Friday night, making this the fourth time they have lifted the trophy, the previous times being 1986, 2008 and most recently in 2020.
Here’s the moment the young ‘Cityzens’ drank in their success.
Commenting on the momentous achievement, Academy Director Thomas Kruecken said of the squad and staff: “This is a fantastic achievement for our Academy. The FA Youth Cup is one of our main targets each season, so to have won the trophy for the fourth time in our history really feels special”.
“Ben, his staff and all the players deserve huge credit for the way they have played throughout the competition. It’s been a pleasure to watch them grow and develop together and they’ve produced some outstanding football along the way.
“But this trophy belongs to everyone connected to Man City’s Academy. There are so many people who work tirelessly every single day to ensure the Academy environment is as good as it can be – to give our young players a platform to develop and become the best footballers they can.
“It makes me really proud to see the work our staff do every single day.”
The names on the scoresheet included Justin Oboavwoduo, Stephen Mfuni and Matty Warhurst, who came straight off the bench to grab the fourth and final goal, but this was probably the pick of the bunch from Jaden Heskey, son of former Wigan Athletic, Bolton Wanderers and England striker, Emile:
City are still a fair few short of Manchester United’s record in the competition, having won the tournament 11 times, but with more development and focus on the academy system and club-wide playing principles up and down all age levels ever since Pep Guardiola arrived, this won’t be their last.
Congrats to the youngsters and be sure to remember those names – we’re sure plenty of them will be lighting up leagues soon enough.
You can watch the highlights from Man City’s U18s’ convincing Youth Cup victory down below or watch back the game in full HERE.