David Beckham celebrates Sir Alex Ferguson’s birthday with nostalgic picture

Alex Ferguson turned 80 on December 31.

David Beckham is a former Manchester United player (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)

David Beckham has celebrated Sir Alex Ferguson’s 80th birthday with an old picture of the pair, paying respect to the “man that has meant so much to me since I was a young boy”.

Sir Alex turned 80 on Friday and ex-Manchester United star Beckham, 46, celebrated the occasion with a nostalgic Instagram post.

The post read: “Happy 80th birthday Boss… A man who has meant so much to me since I was a young boy [and] also gave me the opportunity to play for the club that I always dreamt of playing for.

“THANK YOU …Have the best day with Cathy and the family Boss @manchesterunited #SirAlexFerguson ”

The image shows a young Beckham looking at the camera, with a pen in his hand as though he is about to sign a contract.

Sir Alex is standing beside the young footballer, wearing a striped red-and-black tie.

David Beckham (left) and Sir Alex Ferguson during a legends match at Old Trafford (Martin Rickett/PA). (PA Archive)

Beckham started his professional football career at Manchester United in 1992 at the age of 17.

While at United, Beckham won the FA Cup twice and the Premier League title six times.

He left the club in 2003 and went on to play for teams including Real Madrid and LA Galaxy.

Outside football, Beckham has been involved in several charitable campaigns, including being a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador since 2005.

Sir Alex managed Manchester United from 1986 to 2013 and was knighted in the 1999 Queen’s Birthday Honours list for his contributions to the sport.

He has won more trophies than any other manager in the history of football.