Despite growing up together at Manchester United there are still some things the ‘Class of ’92’ are still learning about each other.
Manchester United‘s golden generation of academy talents became iconic for breaking through to the first team together and leading the club to its most successful period in history.
Paul Scholes was at the centre of that success, with the midfielder enjoying a 20-year career at Old Trafford before hanging up his boots – for the second time – in 2013.
He grew up and forged a formidable relationship with the legendary ‘Class of ’92’, many of which have later gone on to invest in Salford City.
Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, David Beckham and Scholes each own 10 percent of the League Two club.
Scholes and former midfield partner Butt are now launching the Football’s Greatest Eras podcast, and Scholes was “shocked” to learn about his transfer links to Real Madrid.
Nicky Butt almost joined Real Madrid
Scholes and Butt spent 12 years playing together at United and have since become business partners, but it turns out that Butt still has some footballing secrets to tell.
Butt left Sir Alex Ferguson‘s United in 2004 to join Newcastle United, but he has revealed that he was also in talks with Real Madrid at that time.
Speaking to Manchester Evening News, Scholes said: “Nicky almost signed for Real Madrid. I knew nothing about that and got a bit of a shock when he told me.
“It was when I went to Newcastle,” Butt said. “It was in January 2004. I got the point of nearly signing it after having a discussion with Carlos Queiroz.
“He rang me up and asked me if I would go and I said yeah, but I don’t think the manager was keen on me joining and it was squashed.”
Nicky Butt’s career after leaving Manchester United
Beckham made an iconic move to Real Madrid in 2003 and Carlos Queiroz followed him to Spain just a week later.
As it turns out, Butt nearly joined them both in Madrid a year later before instead making a move to Newcastle.
Butt, who stars in United’s 10 best-ever central midfielders, ended up making 171 appearances for Newcastle over a six-year spell before making a move to China to end his career.
He then returned to Manchester and took up a coaching role at the club before being appointed Head of Academy in 2016.
He then became the head of first-team development during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time as manager before leaving the club in 2021.
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