David Beckham has admitted that he was 'nowhere near as fast' as former Newcastle United winger Keith Gillespie - who was 'so talented'.
The pair came through the ranks together at Manchester United as part of the Class of 92.
As right wingers and outsiders who missed their families - Beckham was from London and Gillespie was from Bangor - the pair quickly struck up a bond and lived next door to each other in digs.
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Beckham and Gillespie both went on to catch the eye in a talented FA Youth Cup winning side, which also featured Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers.
Gillespie made his first-team debut for his boyhood club in 1993 - scoring against Bury at Old Trafford - but the winger ended up being traded by Sir Alex Ferguson as part of the £7m deal to sign Newcastle striker Andy Cole a couple of years later.
We all know what happened next. Gillespie was part of a thrilling Newcastle side which came within touching distance of winning the Premier League title in 1996; Beckham, meanwhile, made the right-wing spot his own at Manchester United that same season and won the first of many titles in the game.
Beckham may now be a global superstar, even in retirement, but the 46-year-old has never lost sight of just how good Gillespie was.
"Keith was one of those kids that, naturally, when he ran with the ball, it's like when you watch Giggsy play," the former England captain told Fever Pitch: The Rise of the Premier League.
"I was nowhere near as fast as Keith. He was so talented."
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