Did David Beckham’s transfer to Real Madrid cause the Messi and Ronaldo GOAT debate?

David Beckham wanted to remain a Manchester United player forever, but after Sir Alex Ferguson kicked a boot at his face in a dressing room bust-up in 2003, his destiny was set away from Old Trafford.

After 265 Premier League appearances and scoring 61 league goals, Manchester United was keen on selling Beckham to Barcelona.

According to managingmadrid.com, Beckham said: "One of my friends called and told me it was on Sky Sports that United has agreed terms with Barcelona. I told him, that's not right. I don't know anything about it."

"That's when I spoke to my agent and said, 'If I am going to move, I am going to move to Madrid.' Within a day, I sat with the President of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, and we agreed on a deal."

What transpired after his move to Madrid is unbelievable, with his move to Spain becoming the catalyst for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi being the greatest players on the planet.

In the summer of 2003, a young Ronaldinho was close to joining Manchester United, with the Brazilian being the replacement for David Beckham.

However, when Beckham decided to join Real Madrid instead of Barcelona, the Spanish giants swept in and took the Brazilian as a second-choice option after Beckham.

Ronaldinho was just 48 hours away from joining the Manchester club, which caused the club to move swiftly and sign a promising young teenager called Cristiano Ronaldo to play in Beckham's position.

Although Ronaldo had requested to wear the number 28 jersey, his number at Sporting Lisbon, he received Beckham's number seven jersey, a number that has resonated with his name ever since.

Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Manchester United was the first significant move between Ronaldo and Messi, with 'CR7' becoming one of the premiere players in the game with Manchester United.

In his first stint with Manchester United, Ronaldo scored 84 goals in 196 appearances, winning his first Ballon d'Or, three Premier League titles, and his first Champions League.

Whilst this was going on in Manchester, Ronaldinho announced a young attacker called Lionel Messi to the world, assisting his first goal and taking him under his wing at the Catalan club.

With the help of Ronaldinho, Messi turned into a global phenomenon at Barcelona, winning ten La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, and seven Ballon d'Or's, becoming the GOAT of the sport.

After Ronaldo's glittering spell with Manchester United, the Portuguese ace earned a move to Real Madrid, the place where he became one of the game's most legendary figures and where the GOAT debate started.

Between 2010 and 2020, Ronaldo won another four Ballon d'Or, four Champions League titles, two league titles in Spain and Italy, and the UEFA European Championship with Portugal.

David Beckham had quite the career, but no one expected his move to Madrid to affect football the way it did. The GOAT debate still runs on, but Lionel Messi winning the World Cup has settled the discussion for many fans.