David Beckham has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson made him shave his famous mohawk off in the Wembley Stadium toilets just hours before Manchester United's 2000 Charity Shield clash with Chelsea.
The relationship between Beckham and his manager at United grew increasingly strained before he was eventually sold to Real Madrid in 2003.
"I was in the dressing room with an hour to go before kick off when Sir Alex Ferguson saw it and made me shave it off," Beckham said in an interview to appear on Friday's Graham Norton Show on BBC 1.
"I said no at first and then I saw his face change very quickly so I went and shaved it off in the toilet. He was very strict.
Beckham also made an admission on his memorable hairstyles over the years, calling his cornbraids a "bad decision".
"Some of them have been really bad - I hadn't thought them through.
"The topknot wasn't too bad but the cornbraids were a bad decision. It was bad timing as well as I was going to South Africa at the time with England and ended up meeting Nelson Mandela so that's why I regret that one."
- THE INDEPENDENT