David Beckham: 'I owe everything to Sir Alex Ferguson'

David Beckham has paid tribute to his former boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

The legendary coach announced today (May 8) that he is to retire as Manchester United manager at the end of the current season later this month.



Writing on Facebook, Beckham described Ferguson as a "father figure" during his time at Old Trafford.

He wrote: "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.

"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."

He added: "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!"

David Cameron led the Twitter tributes today to the outgoing manager, who has now been appointed ambassador and director of Manchester United.

Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement sparked a Twitter frenzy earlier today, with over 1.4 million posts mentioning the news.