As part of the special edition of the fanzine, I wrote an article looking at some well known Manchester United players in their 25th year…

Roy Keane – August 10th 1996

United somehow managed to win the league in 1996, despite being 12 points behind Newcastle in February, and Roy Keane opened his goalscoring account in the first game of the following season in the Charity Shield again Kevin Keegan’s men. United won 4-0.

Plagued with knee problems, Keane made just his third league appearance at the end of October and was sent off for two bookable offences after 20 minutes. United still managed to score three goals without him but conceded six.

From the turn of the year, Keane picked up seven yellow cards in the eighteen games he played in, including a costly booking in the first leg of the European Cup semi-final against Borussia Dortmund. United lost that game, and the return leg without him, 1-0.

Keane was named captain for the following season after inheriting the armband from Eric Cantona who retired. He finished the season with three goals in thirty three appearances before going to the Far East on tour, where he had a run in with Peter Schmeichel.

“I was trying to sleep in a Hong Kong hotel when I heard the banging in the corridor,” recalled Andy Cole. “I went to investigate and saw that Roy Keane, the club captain, was rolling around fighting with Peter Schmeichel, the giant goalkeeper. They weren’t playing. ‘Typical Roy,’ I thought, and went back to bed smiling. The next day, Schmeichel was wearing sunglasses. There had only been one winner. Keane could fall out with anyone. I once saw him come to blows with one of his best mates, Denis Irwin, in the dressing room. They were both from Cork and close friends. And they were being pulled apart.”

David Beckham May 2nd 2000

A week before David Beckham’s 25th birthday, France Football released a report showing that David Beckham was the highest paid English footballer, bringing in £1.4m a year and earning £27,000 a week.

In the summer he was linked with moves to a whole host of top European club, including Barcelona, AC Milan, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, but the biggest story involving him at the time was the gesture he made to England fans following a 3-2 defeat to Portugal at the Euros. After setting up two goals, he was subjected to abuse from his own fans as he walked off the pitch, so he responded by sticking his middle finger up at them. In contrast to the vilification of Beckham we had seen two years earlier at the World Cup, the press, for the most part, supported him.

A few months in to the season, Beckham scored the only goal in the derby with a freekick with just 90 seconds on the clock. United went five points clear at the top whilst City were just four points above the relegation zone.

Just before Christmas, Beckham hinted for the first time that he may be open to a move away from the club. “If I’m happy and my family are happy then I will stay where I am, if things go well with the club and the contract,” he said. “But you don’t know. You can never say about that. So I will have to wait and see over the next few months.”

In the February, Beckham was named England captain by manager Sven Goran-Eriksson but the following month was dropped by Ferguson for the game against Sturm Graz after a string of below par performances.

Having already won the title in April, United had a difficult game against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals. Beckham picked up a silly yellow card for a foul on Stefan Effenberg and would miss the second leg.

“David on his best form would be a massive loss and, of course, I would prefer it if he was available,” said Ferguson. “But he has not been playing as well as we would have liked. He knows that. All great players have little spells when they are not at their best. He is going through it now.”

Beckham finished the season with nine goals and one assist and was still being linked with other clubs. “Let me make it clear, I still love Manchester United,” he said. “I have been at the club since I was 16. Manchester is where I grew up as a footballer, playing for the best manager and the best club in the world. I have lived in the city for 10 years. I regard it as my home now.”

Rio Ferdinand – November 7th 2003

Two weeks before his 25th birthday, Rio Ferdinand was one of the Manchester United players named to have a routine drugs test. He was told that he would be tested for drugs after training. Training ended and Rio went to town where he was pictured shopping. At 2.02pm he called the club to ask could he come back for the test. The testers told him he was too late but they didn’t leave Carrington until 2.27pm, which would have been enough time to return for the test. UEFA’s website confirmed that Rio had asked to take the test on the same day but was told it was too late. Drug-test procedures do not have a time limit so there was no reason why the testers couldn’t have waited, given the implications of what him not taking the test were. Rio was tested for drugs at their next convenience, two days later, and that test came back negative.

Before Rio’s ban and fine had been announced, PFA chief Gordon Taylor was confident, like many, that there would be no problem in clearing the defender’s name, after the evidence that Rio’s plea to take the test before the testers left was rejected.

“If I was representing the FA and they asked me should it go ahead, I would say that unless they can mount an emphatic challenge to this evidence it should not,” he said. “We don’t want to sweep anything under the carpet but the case is now far from cut and dried. It is clear the testers should have stayed. Not enough was done to ensure Rio took the test on that day. It is not good enough to just leave when he was prepared to make it back.”

However, Rio was fined £50,000 and banned for eight months. After the unprecedented punishment was handed out, Rio offered to have a hair follicle test, which would have shown any drug use over the previous six months, going back to before his original test date, but the FA declined his request.

The MEN reported at the time: The FA does not appear to dispute Ferdinand’s claims that he has never taken drugs – they have not listed him for target-testing, which would be the usual procedure for any player suspected of being a drug user. And their refusal to get involved in hair follicle testing is further evidence that they do not question Ferdinand’s claims that he is drug-free. They maintain the punishment is for his failure to take the test alone.

His last game of the season was in January, with United four points clear of Arsenal, but any hopes we had of retaining the title faded away after then.

“Our performances in the first half of the season were terrific – then we lose Rio and all of a sudden we are back-pedalling,” said Ferguson. “We have to adjust to the fact that Rio is not there. We have to handle it. We have lost Rio and there is nothing we can do about it. So let’s get on with it.”

In March, Rio lost his appeal, meaning he would certainly miss out on the rest of United’s season as well as the European Championships in the summer.

“I can’t believe what the FA have done to me,” Ferdinand said. “I’ve always accepted that I missed the test. But I think most people now realise it was a genuine mistake, even those at the FA. So why do they find it necessary to push for such a harsh punishment? They know I didn’t take drugs. The Appeal Board even made a point of saying so.”

United finished the season 3rd, fifteen points behind Arsenal, although did win the FA Cup, which Rio has still yet to win.

Wayne Rooney – October 24th 2010

Wayne Rooney started the season where he turned 25 with details of his private life all over the papers, with it being revealed he had been sleeping with a prostitute behind his pregnant wife’s back. His form suffered and he was left out of the game against Everton at Goodison Park for fear he wouldn’t be able to handle the stick that would come his way.

Rooney picked up an ankle injury in United’s game against Bolton and was subbed off to the bench with half an hour to go where he sat and iced his injury. Fergie claimed he would be out for three weeks but Rooney later responded in the press by saying he wasn’t injured and didn’t know why the manager said he was.

Five days before his 25th birthday, Ferguson revealed at a press conference that Rooney had made it clear he would not be signing a new deal and he wanted to leave the club.

“The one thing I said to him was ‘respect this club’, I don’t want any nonsense from you,” he said. “I don’t know if he has done that. I have doubts on that, we are reading all these things about falling out with me and all that nonsense. It’s disappointing because we have done everything we possibly can to help Wayne Rooney ever since he came to the club. We have always been here as a harbour for him any time he has been in trouble.”

Two days before he turned 25, he put pen to paper on a new five year deal with the club. “I’m delighted to sign another deal at United,” he said. “In the last couple of days, I’ve talked to the manager and the owners and they’ve convinced me this is where I belong.”

By the turn of the year, Rooney had scored just two goals in all competitions for United. The players and manager defended him though, until Giggs broke ranks in February.

“For the fans, and probably me to an extent and a lot of the players, what really got our backs up was as soon as City were mentioned,” he said. “For me, as a United fan, as soon as you hear City being talked about, you think, well, that can’t happen. I was surprised.”

A week later was derby day and the stage was set for Rooney. At 1-1 with ten minutes to, Rooney leapt up in the air with his back to goal and with an extraordinary overhead kick scored the winner for United.

Finally he started earning his money, scoring for United in the league, FA Cup and Champions League much more regularly. He even got a hattrick against West Ham but this wasn’t without controversy. He swore down a camera when celebrating his 14 minute hattrick and was banned for two games, meaning he missed the FA Cup semi-final against City which we lost.

As the season approached its end, with United favourites to win the league and in the European Cup final, Rooney admitted he was wrong to question the club. “Obviously I understand I made a mistake,” he said. “When I look at it now, how wrong was I? I admitted that and I apologised for that and I have wanted to try and prove myself again to the Manchester United. I feel I am doing that now. I am 100 per cent committed to this club.”

Rooney finished the season with sixteen goals, including one in the European Cup final defeat to Barcelona, and the Premier League winners medal to satisfy his ambition.

“Congratulations to him,” said Beckham. “He’s such a great guy. He was a great player but an even better person. It couldn’t have happened to a better person. He’s a gentleman and was one of the best goalscorers in the world, so congratulations to Ole. Maybe he will be Man United manager one day, that would be nice. But for now, I think United are happy with Sir Alex Ferguson. But in the future, who knows? He’s a winner, he loves Manchester United, so you never know what might happen.”

Having already played in England, Spain and Italy, French side PSG are the latest team to show an interest.

However, when he has finished playing, he claims he would like to turn to United in some role, just like his former Real Madrid team mate Zidane.

“I’d love to do that,” said Beckham. “The best memory of my career came in 1999, no doubt, when Manchester United won the treble. In my opinion, no club can repeat that feat.”

Beckham, who left the club for Real Madrid in 2003, can’t wait to wear our shirt again.

“Putting a United shirt on again never gets old,” said Beckham. “I get goose bumps every time I think about stepping out at Old Trafford again, as does walking out on the pitch. To be able to do that for Gary and his family means it is going to be an emotional night. I played with him for so many years. We were room-mates, he was best man at my wedding and he is one of my best friends. I am looking forward to seeing him play. After a few months of not playing and training, that will be interesting!”

Beckham believes after Neville’s commitment and hard work, he is deserving of a night dedicated to him.

“Gary is still so dedicated,” said Beckham. “It is the reason why he has achieved so much in his career and why United fans love him. He is such a talent and hard worker. He really deserves this night.”

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There are still a few tickets available. Buy them from the official site for £25.

Last month, David Beckham took his son Romeo, who donned an Arsenal scarf, to the Emirates.

He took all three of his sons to the Manchester derby today but Romeo and Cruz were more appropriately dressed, sporting Manchester United bobble hats. That’s better.

Becks went for dinner with Gary Neville at Rio’s restaurant, Rosso, last night.

“Not only is Gary a great person, he is one of the best defenders ever to have played the game,” said Beckham. “It was an honour to play with him at United and for England. He deserves all the praise and recognition.”

David Beckham is currently living in London so he can train with Tottenham Hotspur during the close season in the States. After a loan deal with the North London club broke down because an agreement over insurance couldn’t be reached, Becks picked up an injury on the training ground.

David took his son, Romeo, to the Emirates yesterday to watch Arsenal’s victory over Wigan. Fair enough. Whilst always claiming to be a United fan, going to watch a live game of football whilst you’re in the area doesn’t call his loyalty to United in to question.

Wrapping his son up in an Arsenal scarf does though.

What the hell, Becks?

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A Gooner’s Dream
EXPOSED: David Beckham And His Lies
Norf Laaandan, innit

Beckham was a great player for United and you could tell he really cared about the club. But as he worked his way towards being the most famous footballer in the world, something I’m sure he probably wasn’t expecting at the time, his priorities seemed to blur. Maybe it was his wife or maybe he was reacting the same way any one of us would if in his situation, but he changed and then he left.

The story painted was that Sir Alex Ferguson forced him out of the club, destroying Beckham, who had planned on spending his entire career at his boyhood club. This is a story lapped up by so many.

It’s hard to deny there was a falling out with the manager. Was this because he is a tyrant who can’t stand a bad attitude and a player acting like they’re bigger than the club? Well, if his dealings with Ronaldo and Rooney are anything to go by, who both exhibited a less than admirable attitude (Ronaldo repeatedly talking of only God knowing his future whilst he petulantly stropped around the field or Rooney behaving in abhorrent way off the pitch whilst trying to create a move to one of our biggest rivals behind our back), then it’s patently obvious that argument is nonsense. But whatever happened behind the scenes, something maybe someone will tell us about in an autobiography some day, there’s no way I buy that Beckham was pushed out.

“I’ve known Ferguson since I was 12 years old and we had one or two problems in that time,” Beckham said in October 2006. “Maybe he didn’t want me to leave.”

So, Ferguson forced Becks out of the club… whilst at the same time not wanting him to leave? It certainly suggests the decision was Beckham’s which then possibly caused the break down of the relationship between player and manager.

So, I don’t hate Beckham. I loved supporting him in 98-99 and I loved watching him play such a pivotal role to the best season in United’s history and best season in any English club’s history. But I do hate the image he presents of himself and I am irritated by how readily fans accept it all.

He hasn’t always been a liar though. A month before he left United for Real Madrid, he said: “I’ve never said that I’d never move away from Manchester, and I’ve never said that I’d end my career there.”

That’s fair enough. Why should any footballer expect to be loyal to any club? Roy Keane talks of players as being treated like pieces of meat and how they have to do what is best for them. To a certain extent, I agree. No, it’s not on swapping between rivals, but if Becks wanted a change of scenery and felt it would be good for his family, then that is entirely fair.

What’s not fair there though is to rewrite history and make out like his decision to leave United for Real Madrid was something that was forced on him.

“I’d have loved to have stayed at Manchester United for my whole career and never gone anywhere else,” Beckham said last January.

“When you are a Manchester United player and a Manchester United fan you never want to play for any other club,” he said in the February.

Finally, we have proof that Beckham was planning to leave United long before he left for Real Madrid. After news broke that he was leaving, the office staff at Carrington asked Gary Neville how he was taking it. He responded that he’d known for a while so had some time to get used to it. But did he know a whole year before? Because that’s when Becks made his decision.

Terry Byrne, Beckham’s mate and former manager, has lifted the lid on what happened, speaking with Sports Illustrated.

I had just appointed Ray Lewington as manager of Watford (2002), and David then called me and said, “Look, I’m going to split with SFX [his management group]. Would you consider you and your wife moving? I’m going to go to Real Madrid next summer and leave Manchester United. Would you come and live in Spain and just run my world?” I said, “OK, fine.” And I can say this with my hand on my heart, I never took a penny of commission out of David. Ever. I took the same salary I was on at Watford. I said, “Look, it’s not about money. I’ll help you for a period, get your life sorted back out and then there will be a time when I step away.”

I managed him for five years. Lived in Spain, loved it. Had the pleasure every day of going to the training ground and watching Zinédine Zidane, Ronaldo, Raúl, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo. The dream team. Other than maybe Franco Zola, watching Zidane in training was the best part of my career. And just Real Madrid as a club, the stadium and the atmosphere and the way the city comes to a standstill when it plays, I loved it.

Then in David’s career, Steve McClaren became England manager. David was one of the Florentino Pérez signings, so with Real Madrid’s presidency changing, Ramón Calderón didn’t want to re-sign David. I had worked with [AEG head] Tim Leiweke building the [Beckham] academy in London, and Tim had made no secret of the fact he wanted David to come to the Galaxy. Tim worked for two years with me to bring David to the U.S. That combined with Simon Fuller’s program with managing Victoria and Simon’s commercial team doing David’s commercial work. As Simon’s role became more prominent in David’s management, from my point of view, my involvement in management wasn’t as necessary.

There came a point where the England players asked me to manage them. David wanted me to move to L.A., and my wife and I didn’t want to. Our baby had just been born, so I said to David, “Now is the right time for me to step away.” I didn’t want to cause him any conflict within the football world. I’m the football [adviser], the commercial world was 19 Entertainment. And rather than put David in a position of conflict, it was right for me to step away. So I chose at that point to extricate myself from it. I still speak to David regularly, and he’ll ask my advice on whatever. But the friendship comes first and will always come first before business.

Now, this entirely contradicts what Becks said in May 2006: “I never talked to Real Madrid until I actually got the phone call to say ‘the club want to sell you’. And that’s the first time I spoke to Madrid about that.”

And that comment contradicts what he said earlier about Ferguson not wanting to sell him. Did Manchester United choose to organise a deal to sell David Beckham to Real Madrid without Fergie’s blessing?

“It is totally out of the question, there is no way we would sell him,” Ferguson said in the April before Becks left, when the player was sat on the bench, being kept out of the team by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. “Why would I want to sell my best players?”

The media focus continued though, leading Beckham to bat his eyelids at the Spaniards. “Any player would be honoured to be spoken about by Real Madrid,” he said.

I’m sure there will be Beckham apologists who try to find a way out of this but here we have it, knowledge that Becks had been in talks with Real Madrid at least a year before he left us for them, before our Champions League game where he played out of his skin against them, putting himself in the shop window (assuming he hadn’t already agreed a deal) and certainly before Sir Alex kicked that boot at his head. Is Becks’ friend lying? What motivation does Bryne have to do that? It’s obvious that the focus of the story isn’t the fact Beckham was talking about leaving a year before he did, it’s just a bit part to the main story which is about his relationship with Beckham and how he ended up in Spain. Let’s use a bit of common sense and stop arguing black is white.

“Football is everything to me and joining Real Madrid is a dream come true,” Beckham said after joining the Spanish giants. Whilst now he might look back on his career and wish he had never left United, at the time he fancied himself a bit more, thought he was the big deal, and was more than happy to leave Manchester for Madrid.

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Beckham Should Be Honest Instead Of Lies For Adulation

“I didn’t expect David Beckham to be playing on Sunday,” said Ferguson. “You cannot all of a sudden come in to train for a few days and expect to play in the Premier League, even less so against Manchester United.”