Manchester United legend David Beckham only has words of praise for Sir Alex Ferguson, even though the 73-year-old manager did not include the former Real Madrid midfielder in his list of world-class players he managed at Old Trafford.
In his new book 'Leading', Ferguson, who is regarded as one of the greatest football managers in history, took the names of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo as the only world-class players he managed during his 26-year reign at United.
Notable absentees in the list included Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nisterlooy, Gary Neville and even Beckham, who was a part of Manchester United's Class of '92.
Beckham plied his trade at the Theatre of Dreams from 1992-2003, before moving to Real Madrid, after a huge fallout with Ferguson. According to the Scottish manager, the former England captain thought he was "bigger than the manager", and Beckham's fame was slowly affecting his performances at the club.
The player's relationship with his manager deteriorated further in 2003 when, in the changing room, following a defeat to Arsenal in an FA Cup match, a furious Alex Ferguson kicked a boot that struck Beckham over the eye, causing a cut that required stitches.
And that was the fuel that forced Beckham to move out of the club.
However, 12 years later, Beckham has only words of praise for Sir Alex, and he said not featuring in Ferguson's list of the greatest players doesn't bother him.
When asked if he felt insulted by being left off Sir Alex's list, Beckham told the BBC: "Not at all.
"I played for the greatest manager of all time. I was lucky to play with the players that I did and be successful with the club I love.
"I tend to agree with the manager because there are certain players that you can call world class and thankfully I played with many of them," the 40-year-old, who is currently the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, added.
Besides mentioning the four names, Ferguson also had special words of praise for Real Madrid hotshot Ronaldo, as he described the Portuguese star "the ornament on top of a Christmas tree" in his new book.
Although Beckham may not have taken his former club manager's words too personally, one player who did feel bad is former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand.
The centre-back, who hung up his boots at the end of last season, put out a detailed facebook post to question "Who and What is World Class?!"
