David Beckham Makes Surprise Admission About Manchester United Departure

Former Manchester United and England captain David Beckham has revealed that he didn't watch his boyhood club after being sold to Real Madrid in 2003.

Beckham, who went on to play for LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint Germain before retiring in 2013, played 265 times for Manchester United's first-team after coming through the youth ranks.

He won six Premier League titles and the Champions League before moving to the Bernabeu Stadium in 2003, at which point Beckham stopped watching his former club play.

"I didn't watch Manchester United for three years (after leaving Old Trafford)," Beckham told BBC Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs , which aired on Sunday. The 41-year-old added that he was "shocked and devastated" when he was sold to Real Madrid.

Beckham fell out with then Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, which he said was a big regret for him.

"You make decisions at 21 I hope I would not make when you are 41," he said.

Beckham, now retired from playing, is looking to launch a football team in America's Major League Soccer.