David Beckham reflects on Real Madrid days, Bellingham, Alexander-Arnold: ‘A monster of a club’ | OneFootball

David Beckham was one of Real Madrid’s blockbuster signings in 2003, arriving from Manchester United as the team’s latest ‘Galactico’.

He shared the field with some of the sport’s and club’s greats and was part of one of Real Madrid’s most fierce attacking sides of all time, and he added to it with his proficiency in crossing and set-pieces.

All in all, he made over 150 appearances for Los Blancos and racked up 20 goals and 52 assists during his time at the club before eventually leaving for LA Galaxy.

Beckham turns back the clock

The legend opened up to TalkSPORT in a recent interview, where he remembered the pressure that a move to Real Madrid brings on a player and how it is not comparable to any other club in the world.

“I think Real Madrid is a monster of a club and you feel the expectations,” he began. 

“The moment you sign for that club, the expectation is probably like no other club that I’ve played for,” he added.

Comparing Real Madrid to Manchester United, he explained how both were on completely different scales.

“Obviously, growing up in Manchester, Manchester United is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, clubs in the world in my mind. But that’s me talking as a Man United fan.

David Beckham joined Real Madrid from Manchester United. (Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images)

“But Real Madrid, you turn up, you walk into that stadium, you put that shirt on, you look at the history of the club, everything about Real Madrid feels different,” he said on Real Madrid.

“I remember my first season, walking into other stadiums, people look at you differently, they treat you differently,” he added.

Reflecting on the pressure that Real Madrid brings, given the aura around the club, Beckham said,

“You turn up and it’s a different feeling, it’s an unbelievable feeling. So there’s a certain amount of pressure that comes with that.

“But in all honesty, I loved the pressure. I loved the pressure of going there and trying to prove myself again, because I knew that that’s exactly what I had to do,” he added.

Finally, he spoke on how he had to adjust his game and his attitude towards normalising the sheer number of legends he shared the field with.

“I had to change my game because playing in a different league, on a different team.

“But I remember on day one, I turned up at the training facility early and I’m really early.

“And then all of a sudden, Zinedine Zidane walks in, Raul walks in, Luis Figo walks in, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, they all walked in one after the other,” he added.

“I never really get nervous, but I was like, ‘okay, this feels different’,” Beckham concluded.

On Jude Bellingham

Speaking on Jude Bellingham’s move to Real Madrid, the club legend admitted that the youngster pushed for a transfer at the right time.

“For Jude, I think it was the right time for him to go,” he began.

Speaking on Bellingham’s beginnings and how the path eventually led him to Real Madrid, he said,

“I love the fact that he was at [Borussia] Dortmund from a very young age and he still respects obviously what he did at Birmingham and where he started.

“But then going to Dortmund gave him that opportunity to experience it at a young age. Then, going to a club like Real Madrid changes everything. That’s a big move,” he added.

“And in his first season, to do what he did, the fans absolutely love him because he’s a worker,” he concluded on that topic.

On Trent Alexander-Arnold

Beckham shared his opinion on Alexander-Arnold. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Finally, the club legend weighed in on Trent Alexander-Arnold being dropped from the national team squad by Thomas Tuchel.

“That’s why I’m not England manager, because I don’t have to make those decisions. But, I’m a massive fan of Trent, I love Trent as a player,” he said.

Backing the player amid claims that he is not a good defender and that he just attacks, Beckham said,

“I’ve heard so many times over the years when he was at Liverpool, when he’s at Madrid, when he’s playing for England, about, ‘Well, he’s not as good at defending as he is (attacking)’.

“Well, sometimes you have to accept that. Roberto Carlos was an unbelievable defender, but he was also unbelievable going forward,” he added.

Comparing Roberto Carlos and Trent, he once again backed the Real Madrid star to be very similar in terms of his attacking output.

“He’d (Carlos) always go forward, and then we’d have to cover him, so those kinds of things you expect.

“But with Trent, would I take him? I’d find it very hard not to take someone like Trent.”

Finally, he was asked about whether he saw Trent’s crossing to be similar to his back in his playing days.

“I’ll let you guys do it. But I’ve obviously seen Trent for many years now. And I think he’s got a very similar style of crossing and passing to what I had, I think,” he began.

“But I’m not one to turn around and say who’s better because I love Trent as a player,” he concluded.