Beckham's wife Victoria once told a story that when her third son Cruz watched the four-part series about his father David Beckham on Netflix, he exclaimed, "I didn't think dad was that good at football."
Cruz is not alone, but some of Beckham’s 88 million Instagram followers don’t know that he was once a football superstar, who played for Manchester United, Real, LA Galaxy, PSG, Milan and 115 times for England. Or many don’t know that Beckham was once a great player, with his “kicks that score goals” from free kicks, and his amazing ankles that could send the ball wherever he wanted, in a mesmerizing trajectory.
Actually, it's not surprising, because Beckham just celebrated his 50th birthday and retired 12 years ago. When Beckham and MU won the great treble (in 1999), the iPhone had not been born yet and Man City was playing in the third division (League One). Or the moment Beckham saved England with a super free kick against Greece in 2001, then the whole country prayed by touching the image of his injured foot, hoping that he would come to the 2002 World Cup to save them again, at that time Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo were still unknown boys.
David Beckham when he was playing for MU. |
Beckham’s footballing legacy has been overshadowed by some. Pele, who ranked Beckham in FIFA’s list of the 100 greatest footballers of all time, said he was “more of a pop star than a footballer”. And Sir Alex Ferguson, despite witnessing Beckham’s growth and never losing admiration for his professionalism, repeatedly warned his pupil about his off-field activities, eventually taking him out of Old Trafford after the “flying boot” incident.
Somehow Beckham’s career has been full of such “Hollywood moments”. That was when he kicked Diego Simeone in the 1998 World Cup and made himself England’s villain, returning home to a hostile crowd.
But he also turned his fate around, transforming into an English hero, forcing those who had threatened to kill him to praise and worship him. This is similar to when Beckham was hated by Fabio Capello, who put him on the bench at Real, and then he saved him, helping bring the La Liga championship in 2006/07.
After 11 years playing for MU, Beckham moved to Real in 2003 with a contract worth 37 million euros. |
Moving to MLS, many people expected Beckham to fail. Even Pele did not have a sweet experience here, let alone a player who only shined under the flashbulbs. Who would have thought that Beckham would take Major League Soccer to new heights, both in terms of reputation and quality of the field. In his final season, he still managed to score 8 goals to help LA Galaxy win the championship.
More surprisingly, during his time in the US, Beckham also took advantage of his breaks to return to Europe, creating memorable moments with Milan and PSG. And now, as the owner of Inter Miami, Beckham continues to transform MLS once again with the signing of Lionel Messi.
That is why, even though he has retired, Beckham's popularity has never waned. For example, at Wimbledon 2016, as soon as the news broke that Beckham would be there to cheer for Roger Federer, the crowd created a traffic jam on Centre Court. Or most obviously, on social media, just on Facebook and Instagram, Beckham's number of followers reached 145.3 million, more than any other retired sports star.
Beckham is still elegant and maintains his handsome appearance at the age of 50. |
Beckham has long transcended the realm of sport, becoming a global brand with a presence around the world , in everything from culture to sport to charity. His popularity is so great that his 50th birthday was not limited to a party, but a series of events on both sides of the Atlantic.
As The Athletic reports, it kicked off in March with a party at Cipriani, an Italian restaurant in Miami, with over 100 guests. In addition to Messi, the party included NFL legend Tom Brady, former basketball star Shaquille O'Neal, Hollywood stars Justin Theroux and Fisher Stevens, alongside model Cindy Crawford and Grammy-winning singer Marc Anthony.
Beckham, however, does not give the impression that he is entirely upper class. Always emphasizing his background as a working-class man, with a gas-fitter father, he is willing to go where he feels necessary. For example, Beckham once cancelled his trip to London when he received news that Kath Phipps, a long-time receptionist at MU, was seriously ill. He spent hours at her bedside, recalling memories of his time at the Red Devils.
In that way, Beckham's fame never waned. His fan base only grew over time, although his new Gen Z fans may not know how great he was on the pitch.
Thanh Hai
Source: https://tienphong.vn/vi-sao-david-beckham-van-giu-duoc-su-loi-cuon-o-tuoi-50-post1739353.tpo
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