During his first term as Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez made history by securing the club’s ninth European Cup in 2002 and building the legendary "Galácticos" squad—bringing in Figo, Ronaldo, Zidane, and Beckham. But David Beckham’s arrival from Manchester United in 2003 almost didn’t happen the way fans remember it.

Speaking on Paramount+’s "Beckham and Friends Live", the English icon revealed that Manchester United had initially agreed to sell him to Barcelona, not Real Madrid.

“My team in Spain was always Real Madrid,” Beckham said. “The funny thing is, Manchester United had accepted an offer from Barcelona.”

While vacationing at the time, Beckham received a call informing him of the agreement—but he had no interest in the deal. “I told them, if I was going to leave Manchester United, it would only be to join Real Madrid.”

This surprising twist is consistent with past claims made by Joan Laporta, who once stated that he had indeed closed the deal for Beckham. But the midfielder stood firm on his dream. “I’ve always wanted to play for Real Madrid. I never imagined leaving United, but if I did, it was only for them.”

Manchester United ultimately canceled the agreement with Barça, and just over a day later, they agreed with Real Madrid. He went on to win the Spanish Super Cup in 2003 and La Liga in the 2006-07 season with Los Blancos.

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