A former teammate of David Beckham has opened up about his deep admiration for the Manchester United legend and still wears the same fragrance as him to this day.
A famed member of the Class of ‘92, David Beckham made a sensational impact at Old Trafford during his prolific playing career under ex-manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The 48-year-old ex-Manchester United winger shot to superstardom during his spell at the Red Devils and created a lasting legacy as one of the club’s legendary No 7s.
Beckham excelled during his time under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson, who the United legend saw as a father figure after the impact he had on him.
However, the former United superstar’s relationship with Ferguson soured towards the tail end of his Old Trafford spell, leading to Beckham’s exit from the club.
Beckham would leave the Red Devils in 2003 and sign for La Liga side Real Madrid for a fee of £24.5m, becoming a key signing in the Galactico era at the Spanish club.
The Inter Miami co-owner and president enjoyed a successful spell in the Spanish capital before he left Real Madrid and signed for LA Galaxy in 2007.
Beckham, who retired from football in 2013, had loan spells with both Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan – twice for the latter – during his time with LA Galaxy.
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Man Utd legend Beckham made his mark
David Beckham played for AC Milan in 2009 and 2010, but the Manchester United legend didn’t lift any major silverware during his time at the San Siro.
However, the former England captain did share the pitch at AC Milan with several legendary former players, including Ronaldinho, Kaka and Andrea Pirlo.
Former Brazil striker Alexandre Pato was at AC Milan and made a name for himself during his time at the Italian club after he signed from Internacional in 2007.
Alexandre Pato was tipped as one of Europe’s top striking prospects early in his spell at the San Siro and he scored 63 times in 150 during his spell with Milan.
However, the 34-year-old Brazilian struggled with injuries towards the tail end of his time at the San Siro and Pato left the club in 2013 and signed for Corinthians.
Speaking to FourFourTwo magazine, Pato revealed that he was a big fan of Beckham and even took interest in what the United legend wore as aftershave.
“I’ve always admired David, not just for what he achieved on the pitch but for everything he transmitted off it,” he said.
“He used to leave all of his toiletries in the dressing room – creams, colognes, stuff like that.
“I’d wait for everyone to leave and then looked at what aftershave he was wearing.
“It became my fragrance as well and I haven’t changed it – it smelled so good. I still wear it today.”
Beckham’s spell at AC Milan caused ‘upset’
During the four-part ‘Beckham’ documentary series on Netflix in 2023, Beckham’s wife revealed that she was “really upset” with the United legend’s move to Milan.
“What do you mean, you wanna go to Milan? We’ve just moved from one side of the world to the other for you,” Victoria Beckham said.
“What I signed up for was us being in LA as a family, so I didn’t expect to turn up in LA, have everything perfect, and then he go, ‘Oh, guess what, surprise! I’m going away again.’
“I respected his career, I always have done immensely, but not again. I was really upset.”