David Beckham is an English retired professional footballer, current president of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City.
Before retiring after a 20-year career in which he won 19 major trophies, Beckham played for England’s national team, Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, LA Galaxy, and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). He won many league titles in four countries: England, Spain, the United States, and France, making him the first English player to achieve such a milestone.
David Beckham’s Life Outside Football
Believe it or not, David Beckham (born May 2, 1975) is still living a fabulous life outside of football.
Although he retired from the game in May 2013, his popularity clearly extends beyond the pitch in all part of the world with millions of fans who revere him as a celebrity and football legend. Beckham is also the face of multinational companies like Coca-Cola and IBM. His marriage to Victoria, who is famous in her own right as a member of the Spice Girls also contributed to Beckham’s rise to popularity beyond football.
As an entrepreneur, David Beckham and his wife Victoria (married on July 4, 1999) are known for their love and massive impact in the fashion world.
The couple who got married at Luttrellstown Castle in Ireland became lucrative spokespeople sought after by fashion magazines, perfume and cosmetics manufacturers, hair stylists, exercise promoters, clothing designers, health and fitness specialists, spa and recreation companies like aftershave. A brand of fragrances called David Beckham Instinct was launched in the United States in 2007 and the Beckhams were paid $13.7 million.
David Beckham remains an iconic figure in the fashion industry and has already appeared on the covers of several magazines. His popularity makes him one of the most searched people on Google between 2003 and 2004. He ranked third, after Britney Spears and Osama bin Laden, among subjects most searched for by British users in the first decade of the 2000s.
Impact on British Politics
The Leytonstone-born football legend played a critical part in bringing the Olympics to London in 2012, traveling with the British delegation to Singapore in 2005 for the host city selection. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics closing ceremony, Beckham, Jimmy Page, and Leona Lewis represented Britain during the handover segment for the 2012 Olympics.
David Beckham played an iconic role during the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, as the bearer of the Olympic flame to the stadium by speedboat. During the 2016 EU referendum, he voiced his opposition to Brexit and voted to remain in the EU.
According to the Manchester United hero, all countries within the union should be facing the problem of the world together and not alone.
Beckham was announced as the new Ambassadorial President of the British Fashion Council on 11 May 2018. Prior to the June 2018 vote by FIFA member nations for selecting the hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Beckham endorsed the North American bid (Canada, Mexico and the United States).
Movies
Despite his handsome features, the British former player who was the fourth-most captaincies (59) in the national football team, considers himself ‘stiff’ to acting, thus didn’t express interest in pursuing acting.
However, he made a camera appearance with Zinedine Zidane and Raúl in the 2005 film Goal1. He also featured as himself in the sequel Goal II Living the Dream in a larger role when the film’s lead character got transferred to Real Madrid. This time, the story centres on the Real Madrid team, with other Madrid players featuring on and off the pitch, alongside the fictional characters.
Through the use of stock footage from the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Beckham appeared in Goal III: Taking on the World, which was released straight to DVD on 15 June 2009.
Life Endorsements
Beckham remains one of the most recognisable athletes throughout the world partly for his several endorsement deals including a $160 million lifetime contract with Adidas; 10 years collaboration with Pepsi Co which expired in 2009; promoted The Walt Disney Company theme parks; generated an estimated £1 billion in shirt and boot sale from his playing career to retirement in May 2013.
The current president of Inter Miami CF has several eponymous video games including David Beckham Soccer and Go! Go! Beckham! Adventure on Soccer Island. With over 106 million followers on social media, David Beckham ranks third in the world as the most followed among sportspeople on the platform, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Diet
If you’re wondering how David Beckham maintains his weight and remain feat, we will say a healthy diet is on the list of his priorities.
In a 2015 publication by The Daily Meal, the 19 major trophies winner stays feat on not just an exercise routine, but also on a plain diet of lean meats, high leafy vegetables and beans. He eats very little fat and only sources them from yogurt and olive oil.
Not many people know Beckham has a slight case of asthma since childhood which he managed for years in his football career. He told ITV News that he never had any reason to talk about it citing that he had ‘played 65 games a season for the last 20 years,’ hence ‘it doesn’t affect the future.’
Experts believe a healthy diet plays a vital role in how he managed the disease and since retiring from pro soccer, Beckham has made several adjustments to his diet and exercise program.
Love for tattoos
Most of the tattoos Beckham have are names of his sons Romeo, Cruz and Brooklyn, and of his wife Victoria. His wife’s name, tattooed on his left forearm, is in Sanskrit script because Beckham thought it would be “tacky” to have it in English. However, this was misspelt as the equivalent of ‘Vihctoria’ In his autobiography David Beckham. My Side, where he said that the idea of having tattoos came to him in 1999 after his son Brooklyn was born. As of 2017, Beckham had more than 50 tattoos on him.
Don’t Miss: Michael Jordan Diet, Wife, Son, Daughter, Kids
Philanthropism
David Beckham is a UNICEF Ambassador, with a focus on supporting the Unite against AIDS Campaign. He has travelled to many countries in Africa with this organization to spend time with children affected by AIDS and other diseases.
In 2013, he donated all his £3.4 million salaries taken from Paris Saint-Germain to two children’s charities in France.
The former football star has been supporting the charity named Help for Heroes for many years whose aim is to help soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghan wars. Beckham is a founding member of the Malaria No More UK Leadership Council and helped launch the charity in 2009 with Andy Murray at Wembley Stadium. He also appeared in a 2007 public service announcement for Malaria No More U.S, advertising the need for inexpensive bed nets.
The TV spot aired in the United States on Fox Networks, including Fox Soccer Channel and can also be seen on YouTube.
Despite being mocked in the dressing room and considered weird for his strong work ethics during his early days at Old Trafford, David Beckham got his reward at the end with a stellar career and tremendous fame.
