Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
JOE KRISHNAN

David Beckham: BT Sport mark Manchester United legend's birthday with Champions League TV special

BT Sport will broadcast a special programme on Saturday to mark David Beckham's 45th birthday, showing some of the Manchester United legend's finest Champions League moments.

Beckham, recognised as one of the best technicians due to his crossing attributes and his trademark free-kick, enjoyed an illustrious career with nearly 400 appearances for United.

The former England captain, who won 115 caps for his country scoring 17 goals, played his part in some of United's most significant victories.

And the most important, the famous comeback victory against Bayern Munich in Champions League final which sealed the Treble back in 1998/99, is among the games to be shown in the three-hour special.

The coverage begins at 4pm on Saturday, May 2 with the first of United's 3-3 draws with Barcelona in that Champions League-winning campaign. Beckham certainly played his part with a stunning free-kick to score the Red Devils' third on the night.

Photo: Bongarts/Getty Images

BT then turn their attention to the semi-final against Juventus in Turin, where United battled past the Italians' star-studded squad - which featured Alessandro Del Piero and Zinedine Zidane - to win 3-2 on their way to the final at Camp Nou.

In the last of the 30-minute highlights, the programme focuses on arguably their most famous night in Barcelona. Sir Alex Ferguson's side trailed 1-0 thanks to Mario Basler's strike but fought back from the brink thanks to goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the dying seconds.

Photo: Getty Images

Beckham's role in the decisive goal goes largely under the radar in the 1999 final, mainly because the winger's in-swinging corner found Sheringham and he flicked it onto Solskjaer, who stabbed home to seal a historic Treble.

The final hour of the Beckham special heads to Ligue 1 for his last game as a professional whilst playing for Paris Saint-Germain against Brest in 2013.

The midfielder, watched on by his family, was given a standing ovation by the Parc des Princes crowd as he walked off in tears after his final game in a career spanning 21 years.

And last but not least, there is footage of Beckham representing the Man Utd Legends against Bayern Munich to mark the 20-year anniversary where Beckham shows in even his mid-40s, he is still a fine player.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.