Gary Neville: Ex-Man United defender relives awkward moment with fan

Gary Neville: Ex-Man United defender relives awkward moment with fan

In the heat of Premier League battle, stars often find themselves on the receiving end of criticism and abuse from members of the crowd.

What is less common is for the league’s players to respond to the abuse, and in much rarer cases, to meet with those fans after the event.

Nonetheless, this is exactly what happened to former Manchester United star Gary Neville on Sky Sports’ The Overlap.

Context

In April 2005, Manchester United lost 0-1 to Everton at Goodison Park as David Moyes’ side were chasing European football for the next season.

In a fiery game, which saw Wayne Rooney return to his former club, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes were both sent off as Everton’s Duncan Ferguson scored the only goal of the game.

Neville was shown his marching orders on 72 minutes when he kicked the ball at a man in the crowd, but it went on to hit a child instead of his intended target.

Reunited

Twenty-one years later, the fan in question walked onto the show with Neville none the wiser as to who the man was.

Neville proceeded to ask him, “where have I met you before?” and the fan responded, “21 years ago this week. That is a clue.”

Neville retorted, “21 years ago this week, so what is that, 2004, April?” and the fan corrected him that it was, in fact, 2005.

Still unsure, the fan mentioned the words, “Goodison Park” and Neville finally remembered.

On recalling the events he exclaimed, “you a***hole. Oh my god. You can come and sit in for a bit. Roy (Keane) you might remember it. Scholsey [Paul Scholes] got sent off as well. 21 years ago in 2005, I am playing at Goodison Park and the ball goes over into the stand. I am playing right-back. Some guy – him – picks it up and literally launches the ball at me. It hits me in the stomach and bounces at my feet and boot it back at his head, missed him and hit a kid.”