Real Madrid hero Michel Salgado has shared how he was given the duty of looking after David Beckham when he first joined the Spanish giants.
The England skipper made a bold call to join Real Madrid following a high-profile falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson, which saw him leave boyhood club Manchester United behind. In 2003, Beckham became the newest addition to the long list of Galacticos and seemed to be an ideal match for the glitzy team put together by club president Florentino Perez.
Despite becoming an immediate star on the field, Beckham initially struggled to adjust to his new life in Spain. Real icon and Spanish native Salgado has opened up about how he was assigned to look after Beckham from his first day at the club.
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“For me, it was a tough moment because I had to babysit him a little bit,” Salgado confessed to TNT Sports. “Victoria [Beckham] was not there so I was the only guy speaking English.
“He would call me every day, ‘Michel, let’s go for this, let’s go for that’. So it was a pretty good time. For me, it was good because I practiced English. I did it with Macca [Steve McManaman] before and then I had Beckham so it was a good moment.”
The team struggled to live up to its star billing during Beckham’s stint in Spain but did secure the La Liga title in 2007. Beckham later moved to LA Galaxy before hanging up his boots at PSG after two separate loan spells at AC Milan. He is currently the owner of MLS team Inter Miami, who boast Lionel Messi on their books.
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(Image: CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP via Getty Images)
As for Salgado, he would later take both Michael Owen and Jonathan Woodgate under his wing as Real Madrid’s English contingent grew. The defender was once labelled the “hardest person in the world” and “a genuine psychopath” by McManaman.
Salgado’s intense approach might trace back to his love for English football. He was exposed early on to the English language, tutored by his sister-in-law from York, and even spent time in Margate as an exchange student.
This laid the foundation for when Salgado left Real Madrid in 2009. He took the advice of former team-mates Ivan Campo and Fernando Hierro to join ex-Bolton Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce at Blackburn Rovers. The full-back spent three years with the Lancashire side and voiced his support for Allardyce to replace Fabio Capello as Three Lions boss.
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“Who is better for England than an English manager who understands the English mentality and knows everything about the English game,” he argued. “He did a great job with Bolton. He is doing a great job with Blackburn Rovers.
“You know the talent of the manager when he has a small batch of players and you are a competitive team. The job he’s done over the last few years has been magnificent. He is one of the reasons I came here to England.”