Neil Lennon has shared an amusing story from 2001 when Celtic met Man United that had the players playing with an added incentive.
This particular incident revolves around a light-hearted, albeit audacious, sweepstake involving none other than football superstar David Beckham.
The context of this tale dates back to when Celtic and Manchester United faced off in testimonials for Tom Boyd and Ryan Giggs. Following a match at Parkhead where Beckham was seen wearing Celtic’s colours after a 2-0 victory for Manchester United, the atmosphere between the teams became tenser.
Lennon, who both played for and managed Celtic, revealed on a BBC Sports podcast that the idea for the unusual wager emerged during the team’s flight to Manchester for Giggs’ testimonial at Old Trafford.

Chris Sutton expressed a dislike for Beckham. The English striker’s proposal for a “first one to smack Beckham wins the kitty” wager was met with enthusiasm, leading to a collective pot of £120. The challenge went unfulfilled during the first half of the game, despite Celtic leading 3-1. However, as the match progressed and after a foul by Jackie McNamara on Ryan Giggs escalated tensions, the opportunity seemed to arise.
Lennon humorously recounted being in prime position to “win” the wager when Manchester United’s Roy Keane intervened, advising Lennon to back off. In the chaos that ensued, Sutton managed to nip in and win the money, leaving Lennon lamenting the intervention that cost him the chance to claim the pot.
He recounted, as quoted by SunSport: “On the flight to Manchester [Sutton] goes ‘I really hate him, Lenny’. I said ‘Who?’ and he said ‘David Beckham’.
“I asked why and he said ‘Because he’s everywhere. He’s in magazines and everything’. Sutty then says, ‘Lads, tenner in. The first one to smack Beckham wins the kitty’. So there’s about £120. We are beating them 3-1 at half-time so start talking about the kitty.
“Into the second half and Jackie McNamara scissors Giggsy. That was it, everyone was in.
“I was literally two or three yards away from Beckham, who had a skinhead at the time. I am primed here, and the next thing Roy Keane comes over and says ‘Lenny, leave it’.
“And just as Roy did that, I see Sutty go swoosh on Beckham, who then has his head in his hands before bouncing back up looking to see who did it.
“You can just see Sutty running away, and I am left saying to Roy ‘You have just cost me £120’.”