Beckham salutes Sir Alex: "He was like a father to me"

David Beckham wrote an emotional message via Facebook about one of the guiding figures of his career, Sir Alex Ferguson. Beckham said that he will be eternally grateful to the manager for the support and encouragement Ferguson gave him when he was first starting out.
"I've just seen the news on Sir Alex. As I have said many times before the boss wasn't just the greatest and best manager I ever played under he was also a father figure to me from the moment I arrived at the club at the age of 11 until the day I left", Beckham said.
"Without him I would never have achieved what I have done in my career. He understood how important it was to play for your country and he knew how much it meant to me.
"After '98 without the manager I would have found it virtually impossible to cope with the attention I was getting on and off the field and for this I will always be grateful to him for his support and protection.
"I am truly honoured to have been guided by the greatest manager in football and to have had the career that I had under him.
"Thank you boss and enjoy the rest!"