David Beckham reflected on when he had to call time on a remarkable career while he was still playing for PSG in 2013 and recalled the ephiphanous instance where he came up against Lionel Messi that triggered his decision to consider retiring from the game.
The one-time poster boy and pride of the English nation revealed he was embarrassed into retiring after being out-dribbled by the Argentine wizard on one occasion that stopped him dead in his tracks, after which the cavalier Manchester United and England hero finally decided it was high time to call it quits in 2013 on his 21-year career after a brief stint at Paris Saint-Germain.
Beckham had been at the top of his game for United and Real Madrid before leaving for the United States for a five-year spell. He subsequently returned to Europe for a brief spell with Ligue 1 side PSG, where he won the league title.
It was at his time with the Parc des Princes club that he realised it was time to hang up his boots after being run outrageously run into the ground by an ebullient Messi who was then featuring for Barcelona during the 2012/13 season Champions League tie.
Beckham joked: “I probably decided to retire when Messi was running past me.”
He added: “We were ahead. [Messi] came on and Barcelona scored.
“Despite my age, I enjoyed playing and the team was good in both games. We did things to be proud of. We didn’t lose to them.”
Since his retirement as a player, Beckham has launched his own MLS franchise – Inter Miami and has made his intention clear to land 34-year-old star Messi as the diminutive Argentine reaches the latter end of his career.
Beckham said: “Well you know what, we’ve got great opportunities down in Miami.
“We’ve been contacted by a lot of different players over possibly coming to join the team.
“As with any owner, you really want the best players and if we have the opportunity to bring in players like Cristiano [Ronaldo] or Leo…
“I have such admiration for them as athletes, if we could bring those players in then great.”
The former England captain added: “[Messi] is alone in his class as a player, it is impossible that there is another like him.”
Credit: Football Tribe Malaysia
