Manchester United legend David Beckham has lifted the lid on his exit from Old Trafford many years ago, citing 'wrong decisions' when speaking on BBC Radio 4.

What's the word?

It was a story that grabbed the headlines the world over. David Beckham, the graduate of the Manchester United academy and the darling of English football, was to be leaving Old Trafford to become a Galatico. However, this wasn't quite the head-turned by bigger things that we saw from Gareth Bale.

Instead, Beckham joined a Real Madrid side that wasn't quite at the height of their powers. He was one amongst a team of stars and struggled to shine with the likes of Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane and Roberto Carlos.

His exit from United may be seen as a huge mistake in his career and Beckham has lifted the lid on the incident, saying 'wrong decisions' played a huge factor in his exit and fall-out with then-manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

What was said?

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, the England legend said:

“At 41 I’d like to think that I’m more grown up and a little wiser than when I was 21. There were certain decisions I made back then that were wrong and I can see why the manager got so frustrated."

“I can understand the manager then thinking, ‘OK, he’s not looking after his body,’ or ‘He’s not resting as he should do’. All the manager ever wanted was the best for the team, the best for the club and the best for the individual.”

Mistake?

It's a debatable situation. David Beckham didn't experience much joy at the Santiago Bernabeu, when compared to what he could have achieved, and he could have become one of the finest ever players at Manchester United.

After leaving Real Madrid, Beckham kicked-off the MLS into it's modern era by joining LA Galaxy. He still had years ahead of him in European football but elected to move across the pond. Stints with AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain followed but, looking back, leaving Manchester United can certainly be seen as a bad decision.

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