David Beckham has admitted he still pines for Manchester in an interview at the National Football Museum in Manchester, where he also opened up about the his red card in the 1998 World Cup, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The former Manchester United and England midfielder is now one of the most famous men in the world, and has homes in London and Los Angeles.

However, Beckham has revealed he still gets bleary eyed whenever he heads north, and admits he will always miss the place where he enjoyed the best time of his career.

The 38-year-old was chatting to an enthralled audience at the National Football Museum in Manchester, and revealed he regarded his spell with the Red Devils as 'the best in his career' and held fond memories of the city, adding: "I will always miss it."

Beckham went on to discuss his departure from United in 2003, and could not disguise his hurt over the incident and the famous falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson.

He told the audience: "You never know when it's going to end. I never expected to leave Manchester United. I never wanted to leave Manchester United but I had to come to terms with that. They were the team I wanted to play with my whole career."

Beckham also opened up about his famous red card against Argentina in 1998, and revealed how the support of the United fans got him through the torrent of abuse he was receiving across the country.

"Coming back to England was the hardest thing for me.

"I was expecting a hard time, but for my family to get it, for my grandparents, for my parents that was the hardest thing for me."

"I had Manchester United, I had Sir Alex Ferguson, and most of all I had the Manchester United fans. I blocked out all the noise from the away fans and all I could hear was the United fans saying my name and standing up for me when I took a corner."