Premier League club's stadium where David Beckham made his debut is now a Lidl
David Beckham made his Manchester United debut back in 1992 during a League Cup clash but the stadium where the ex-England captain took his first steps into professional football is no longer there
by Daniel Orme · The MirrorDavid Beckham’s breakthrough at Manchester United will live long in the memory of Red Devils’ fans - but only a Lidl remains of the stadium where he first appeared.
The former England captain made his debut for the club during a League Cup second round first leg clash with Brighton. Beckham was introduced as a second-half substitute for Andrei Kanchelskis.
Beckham, then 17, was not able to help United to a victory on his debut as they stuttered to a 1-1 draw with the second-tier Seagulls before squeezing to a 1-0 success at Old Trafford in the return leg. It took another few seasons before the winger established himself in the first-team.
His next outing and first goal came during the 1994/95 season, while Beckham was on the scoresheet for the first time during a Champions League clash with Galatasaray. And while Beckham will always remember his debut, the ground where he played for the first time has been consigned to history.
The game took place at Brighton’s old Goldstone Ground. The Seagulls had occupied the stadium since 1902. It was eventually sold by the club in 1997 and was turned into a retail park, with a Lidl supermarket on the same site as the former stadium. It left the club homeless, with Brighton forced to ground-share with Gillingham.
They stayed there between 1999 and 2011 before their move to the state-of-the-art AMEX Stadium, which has coincided with the most successful stint in Brighton history. The Seagulls were promoted to the Premier League for the first time in 2017.
They finished sixth in the top flight in 2023, securing a spot in the Europa League. And while they went on quite the journey, the same can certainly be said of Beckham.
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He won a whole host of trophies with the Red Devils - including six Premier League titles and the Champions League - before a move to Real Madrid in 2003. Beckham went on to represent LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain before retiring in 2013.
He also earned 115 caps for England, captaining the Three Lions on regular occasions. Since hanging up his boots, Beckham has also gone on to own his own clubs including MLS franchise Inter Miami, while he has a stake in Salford City.
But he has never forgotten his roots and has hailed former United boss Ferguson for his influence. Speaking on his documentary, Beckham said: “ Alex Ferguson was someone that I looked up to as a father figure. One of the most important people in my life from the age of 12, 13 when I first met him.”
Speaking about Beckham’s early days with the Red Devils, Ferguson said: “He came to us as a small, skinny little boy you know? But when you see potential it sticks out at you. It's your job then to bring that to fruition, to make them a man.”
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