Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Phil Neville were all togged out for David Beckham’s Great Britain and Ireland side in action against Luis Figo’s Rest of the World outfit in the Unicef Match for Children at the Theatre of Dreams.
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“Following last night’s terrorist attacks, Manchester United and the organisers of today’s UNICEF Match For Children have been in consultation with Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and the decision has been made for today’s game to go ahead as planned”.
“Speaking about the noble idea behind the match Beckham said, “‘I want a world where children can grow up safe from violence, free from poverty and protected from preventable diseases. He was very respectful to me but I totally understood.
“I felt OK. Me, Butty [Nicky Butt] and [Paul] Scholes went out for the warm up and all turned around to each other and said ‘God, we’ve got to play 90 minutes!’ but after about 10 minutes we settled in”.
Sir Alex Ferguson returned to the United dugout for the first time since retiring in 2013, and he was accompanied by a host of former Red Devils and star players from across the globe.
“I played my 100th England game there and the support I had from the French people was incredible that day”.
Beckham, who started his storied career at Manchester United, had already received a rapturous reception prior to the match when he addressed the crowd to thank them for supporting the charity clash he had played a key role in organising.
Before the big game on Saturday, Beckham shared a photo of his pre-match meal with Brooklyn.
Owen pounced for another late on after a fumble by former United goalkeeper Raimond van der Gouw.
And down in the dug out another familiar face who spent many years in Old Trafford, had a cheerful smile for the cameras.
15 years ago, after winning yet another Premier League title, David paraded an infant Brooklyn around the Old Trafford turf.
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The match was part of Beckham’s tour around the world that saw him play football matches on all seven continents.
