Jaap Stam sold his autobiography to The Mirror in 2001 and the newspaper ran a series of stories from the book. Although there was hardly a rush of competitors bidding for the autobiography, the nominal fee it was purchased for was worth every penny.
Piers Morgan, who was the editor of the newspaper at the turn of the millennium, claimed the book was a 'veritable treasure trove of claims' that were likely to 'upset' Sir Alex Ferguson. Morgan was right and Ferguson was not happy with his player.
Stam had claimed Ferguson had tapped him up and ordered United players to dive in European games, called the Neville brothers a 'pair of busy little ****s', and branded David Beckham so thick he'd never go on Mastermind. It was explosive tabloid material and the publication of the quotes eventually led to Stam's departure from Old Trafford in unsavoury circumstances.
