David Beckham is mourning the loss of a longtime friend.
The retired soccer player, who began his professional career with Manchester United at the age of 15, shared a tribute to the soccer club’s longtime receptionist Kath Phipps after her death at age 85.
“The first and last face I would always see was Kath sat at reception at Old Trafford waiting to give me my tickets for the game,” David wrote in a Dec. 5 Instagram post. “She was the heartbeat of Manchester United , everyone knew who Kath was and everyone adored her.”
And the six-time Premier League champ—who shares kids Brooklyn, 25, Romeo, 22, Cruz, 19, and Harper, 13, with wife Victoria Beckham—noted the special relationship he had with Kath from the pair’s first meeting.
“I moved up to Manchester at 15,” David explained, “and Kath made a promise to my mum and dad: ‘I’ll look after your boy for you don’t you worry’ and from that first day till the last day I spent with her that’s exactly what she did.”