YouTube influencer Speed was invited to Old Trafford for Thursday evening's EFL Cup clash with Aston Villa and, though he didn't get to meet his hero Cristiano Ronaldo, he was introduced to a Manchester United legend.
Speed met 1968 European Cup winner Pat Crerand before the match - but, despite grabbing Crerand in an embrace, Speed appeared to think that the 83-year-old was in fact David Beckham.
I Show Speed: Influencer mistakes Crerand for Beckham
IShowSpeed - commonly known simply as "Speed" - has made a name for himself in FIFA gaming and footballing circles for his energetic and eclectic Twitch streams.
A prime example of the energy we have come to expect from Speed came during a charity match among YouTubers earlier this year, when he flew in with slide tackles, celebrated energetically, and spent most of the match at least 15 yards offside.
He is most notably a superfan of Manchester United's number 7 Cristiano Ronaldo, and has taken on Ronaldo's iconic "SIU!" celebration as his own catchphrase. On Thursday night, Speed travelled to Manchester to see United play, in the hopes of seeing his hero in the flesh.
Ronaldo's troubles at Old Trafford this season are well documented, and the Portuguese veteran was missing from the clash with Villa due to illness - meaning that Speed did not get to meet the man on whose reputation he has built much of his online presence.
i’m crying right now i flew all the way to manchester to see ronaldo and he not playing🥲🥲
— Speed⭐️ (@ishowspeedsui) November 10, 2022
He was, however, a special guest of Manchester United, and thus was treated to a behind-the-scenes experience of the ground, and still got to meet a few big names ahead of the match.
One of those was United legend Paddy Crerand. During the Busby era at the club, Crerand was a pillar of one of the great Manchester United teams, winning two league titles, and starting in the club's first European Cup final win in 1968.
Speed appeared extremely excited to meet such an iconic figure in the club's history - before revealing that he had no idea who Crerand was. He appeared to (jokingly?) mistake Crerand for a much more recent legend of Manchester United.
David Beckham🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 #IshowSpeed #ManchesterUnited #Ronaldo pic.twitter.com/oCIuZAAl96
— Izaan7 (@Izaan__7) November 10, 2022
Speed: You're a legend?
Crerand: I played here before you were born!
Speed: You played here? Wait...Beckham?!
Crerand: I'm a little bit older than David Beckham!
Speed: What's your name bro?
Crerand: Patrick Crerand.
Speed: Yo, Patrick Carney.
Crerand: Crerand, ya bloody eejit you!
As we say, it's hard to judge for sure whether Speed genuinely thought Crerand was David Beckham - but it is nonetheless an hilarious encounter.
Beckham was of course part of an entirely different European Cup winning team at United, coming third in the Ballon d'Or rankings when the club won the treble in 1999.
Despite the ludicrous nature of their interaction, later clips showed Speed and Crerand sharing a joke, showing that the ex-Scotland player had not taken offence to the misunderstanding.
LMAOO W SPEED 😂
pic.twitter.com/wgHx4WHUEk— Speedy Updates (@SpeedUpdates1) November 10, 2022
Despite the absence of Ronaldo, Speed seemed to enjoy his visit to Old Trafford, and he saw Manchester United pull off an impressive fightback to progress to the last 16 of the EFL Cup.
Speed can only hope that "CR7" has not left the club by the time he makes it back to Manchester.
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