Football retirements

Gah -- this post has been in my "drafts" list for months!

May was such a roller coaster of emotions for me, and I assume United fans alike. After the exhilaration of winning the league, we were hit by Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement announcement, which was followed by Paul Scholes'. It's devastating enough to have these two legends leave the game -- even though it's probably the right time for them -- but it was a turmoil that most United fans have never been in before. And it didn't end there.

David Beckham

This is a huge deal for me, because he was pretty much the reason I became a football fan and a Manchester United fan. My brother used to watch the Italian Serie A, so I was sort of supporting Inter Milan when I was younger. That was until I was reading the sports section of the newspaper one day, and saw a picture of David Beckham. I honestly don't remember what year it was, but I'm pretty sure it was around 2001 or 2002; I was 11 years old and that's when I was reading the newspaper regularly.

I saw a picture of him, and I thought, "let's see what this guy does!" I watched the next Manchester United match shown on TV, and that was it for me. Beckham, along with Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, and Roy Keane were the bosses of midfield. Beckham was the guy who introduced me to United. He was the guy who made me love football.

There's always a part of me that hopes and believes that Beckham would spend a few months, or a season, back at United before he retires. But that's just for nostalgia's sake. I'm happy that he's had a great career after United. I honestly thought that PSG bought him just for shirt sales and publicity ploy, but he was given more games than I expected. He left United a legend, won the La Liga with Real Madrid, left LA Galaxy as MLS champions, and ended his career with yet another league win with PSG in the Ligue 1.

Thank you, Beckham, for introducing me to this wonderful sport!

Phil Neville

In April, the younger Neville brother announced that he was leaving his playing role at Everton at the end of the season, when his contract ends. However, amid speculations among fans and journalists, he never said that he was retiring altogether. Rumors stated that Phil was looking at options playing in foreign leagues. It wasn't until the season was well over, and people were going on vacations, when he confirmed that he has retired from his playing career, and that was his intentions all along.

According to reports, Phil was in high demand after his retirement with offers from Sky Sports to be a pundit, and from both Everton and Manchester United to be a coach. I'm glad that he chose United. It's nice seeing him back in United gear.

With Phil's retirement, Ryan Giggs is now the last man standing out of The Class of '92.

Jamie Carragher

A Liverpool legend who I respect. I may have hated him throughout his playing career, but I do respect his love and passion for the game. In my opinion, he's sort of like the Gary Neville of Liverpool. Funny enough, he will be joining Neville, along with Graeme Souness and Jamie Redknapp, as a pundit for Sky Sports next season. I really hope he follows Neville to be an amazing and loved-by-all pundit; we need more of those!