Owen Hargreaves has claimed that former England teammate David Beckham is the “best ball-striker” he has ever seen ahead of Manchester United legend Paul Scholes.
Beckham enjoyed a prolific career and incredible success off the field as well, with the United legend shooting off into superstardom thanks to his celebrity success.
The 48-year-old former United winger was widely revered for his vision and world-class passing ability, which helped him excel in delivering dangerous crosses.
Beckham, who retired from football in 2013, was also hailed for his deadly impact from dead-ball situations and superb accuracy and finishing from free-kicks.
READ MORE: Harry Maguire says phone call with Man United icon has helped him deal with criticism
Hargreaves raves about Beckham
Hargreaves appeared alongside former United teammate Rio Ferdinand on the Red Devils’ official website for a series where they build their ‘perfect player.’
Both Hargreaves and Ferdinand were tasked with selecting a right foot for their perfect player, which was narrowed down to Beckham, Scholes, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Hargreaves revealed that Scholes was “probably the best player I’ve ever seen,” but he added that Beckham was the “best ball-striker” he had ever seen in his career.
Speaking in the video, the 42-year-old ex-United midfielder said: “The best ball-striker I’ve ever seen was Becks.
“He used to hit balls in training with England and he would hit them so hard I would… you could hear it, couldn’t you? It just moved [differently].
“I mean, Scholsey’s probably the best player I’ve ever seen, but Becks… just in terms of pure right foot.”
Ferdinand on Beckham’s influence
Ferdinand, much like Hargreaves, agreed with Beckham being their perfect player’s right foot and raved about his former United and England teammate’s influence.
The 44-year-old United legend believed that the key to Beckham’s success was his “variation” on the pitch, allowing his ex-teammate to unlock crosses at ease.
According to Ferdinand, Beckham possessed the “Scholes fade and drill” all the while combined with the Kevin De Bruyne “whip like we see today.”
Responding to Hargreaves, the TNT Sports pundit said: “And his variation, I think that was the key.
“He could play the left to right, right to left 30-, 40-, 50-yard ball and he would hit it and it would go a mile. But on the run, crossing the ball.
“He had the Scholes fade and drill and the De Bruyne whip like we see today that young people can relate to. I just think variety and the level I’d say Becks stands out just above the rest.”
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