<div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-30 alignnone" width="768" height="557" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/2017/02/dfa7faf2fad49a704a20cace2cba78c7301529c6-768x557.webp"></figure></div>
London (AFP) – David Beckham’s squeaky-clean image as a British cultural icon has taken a battering following the leaking of expletive-strewn emails in which he apparently raged about not receiving a knighthood.
The former England football captain is said to have sworn in emails to his PR team after being told he would not be made “Sir David” by Queen Elizabeth II because of concerns about his tax affairs.
A spokesman for the 41-year-old said the emails, released by the Football Leaks website, were “hacked and doctored” to give a “deliberately inaccurate picture”.
But there has been a backlash against Beckham from sections of Britain’s tabloid media.
Monday’s Daily Mail spoke of the “Shame of Saint Becks”, with a columnist pronouncing him “a foul-mouthed, determined egotist” who had used charity work as part of an “increasingly desperate” bid for a knighthood.
Reports which emerged on Friday said the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star refused to put his own money into his humanitarian 7 Fund and tried to obtain reimbursement from the UN children’s agency UNICEF for expenses met by his sponsors.
Outspoken television host Piers Morgan told his 5.47 million Twitter followers the revelations were “sickening” and exposed Beckham as a “fraud”.
Beckham has not spoken publicly since the story broke, although he was pictured cradling his five-year-old daughter Harper on the Instagram account of his son, Brooklyn.
Cynics said even that was a crass attempt to show his best, fatherly side at a time of bad headlines.

– Miami project –

For a man who takes such care of his public image, it is likely to be a deeply distressing situation.
Beckham has maintained a high profile since retiring from the game in May 2013 following a brief stint with French side Paris Saint-Germain.
He continues to carry out charity work and fronts several advertising campaigns.
He has faced problems finding a stadium deal for the football club he plans to launch in Miami, but Major League Soccer chiefs confirmed recently that the team remains in line to become the league’s 24th franchise.
He has managed to shake off previous scandals, both on and off the pitch.
He became a national pariah after his dismissal against Argentina was unfairly blamed for England’s elimination from the 1998 World Cup, but fought back to become England captain.
Reports of an extra-marital affair in April 2004 were dismissed and did not tarnish Beckham’s image as a loving husband to pop star turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham and father to their four children.
Beckham received an OBE from the queen in 2003, a lower honour than a knighthood.
His wife also received an OBE in the 2017 New Year Honours list despite her label being threatened with closure after failing to file company accounts.
She was criticised in British tabloid newspapers for telling her family she would be receiving the award before the official announcement.

– Brand Beckham –

Born in Leytonstone, east London, Beckham was a member of the fabled “Class of 92” crop of young players who emerged at United, along with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville.
Blessed with an extraordinarily accurate right foot, Beckham was renowned for his dead-ball prowess and his seemingly limitless stamina, as well as his ever-changing hairstyles.
He won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the 1999 Champions League with United, creating both injury-time goals as Alex Ferguson’s side stormed back to beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the final.
After his relationship with Ferguson deteriorated, he joined the Real Madrid “Galacticos” to great fanfare in 2003, but would win only one league title during his time in Spain.
Beckham moved to Los Angeles Galaxy in a trailblazing trans-Atlantic move in 2007 and won two MLS Cup titles, whilst also spending time on loan at European giants AC Milan and PSG.
He captained England for six years and played at three World Cups, his 115 caps making him his country’s third most-capped player behind Peter Shilton and Wayne Rooney.
“If you had told me as a young boy I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club, Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over one hundred times, and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy,” he said in 2013.
Beckham’s global celebrity turned him into a one-man marketing phenomenon with a glut of lucrative endorsements.
He is the face of firms including Adidas, fashion chain H&amp;M and Haig Whisky and his shared fortune with Victoria, dubbed “Brand Beckham”, is believed to exceed £500 million ($624 million, 582 million euros).

Leaked emails tarnish golden boy David Beckham

Leaked emails tarnish golden boy David Beckham - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-30 alignnone" width="768" height="557" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/2017/02/ae0cfc9b187f428540e01121fe1e8a114a1f19ba-768x557.webp"></figure></div>
London (AFP) – David Beckham on Saturday blasted reports that he used his children’s charity work to boost his public image and chances of getting a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.
A spokesman for the football icon claimed “hacked and doctored” private emails had given a “deliberately inaccurate picture”.
The former England captain, who retired in 2013, was the subject of a “Football Leaks” probe by the European Investigative Collaborations network, a consortium of 12 European media organisations, including France’s Mediapart.
Citing emails between Beckham and his staff, the reports claimed he initially refused to put his own money into his humanitarian 7 Fund, tried to obtain reimbursement from the UN children’s agency UNICEF for expenses met by his sponsors and was using his humanitarian work as a springboard for his own profile.
Beckham was made an officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2003, two steps below a knighthood.
In one email, he allegedly took extreme objection to the singer Katherine Jenkins getting the same OBE award in 2014, slamming the British honours committee.
He appears to rail against not receiving a knighthood, saying : “If I was American I would have got something like this 10 years ago.”
In another email he seemingly complained about being asked up front to match the highest bidders in a UNICEF auction, saying: “I don’t want to do it and won’t do it with my own money.”

– ‘Outdated material’ –

A spokesman for Beckham responded to the claims.
“This story is based on outdated material taken out of context from hacked and doctored private emails from a third-party server and gives a deliberately inaccurate picture,” he said.
“David Beckham and UNICEF have had a powerful partnership in support of children for over 15 years.
“The David Beckham 7 Fund specifically has raised millions of pounds and helped millions of vulnerable children around the world.
“David Beckham has given significant time and energy and has made personal financial donations to the 7 Fund.
“David and UNICEF are rightly proud of what they have and will continue to achieve together and are happy to let the facts speak for themselves.”
UNICEF said it was “extremely proud” of its work with Beckham, saying he had generously given his “time, energy and support” and has “given significant funds personally”.
It said his 7 Fund had raised millions of pounds (dollars, euros) for UNICEF programmes.
UNICEF ambassadors give their support “in a voluntary capacity, receiving no fee for their time and commitment”.

Beckham denies using charity to boost image

Beckham denies using charity to boost image - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-30 alignnone" width="768" height="557" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/2017/01/470a529228b625e39db8b80101b99adeae183971-768x557.webp"></figure></div>
London (AFP) – England football icon David Beckham labelled the historical sex abuse scandal that has rocked the sport as a ‘disgrace’ in an insightful interview on BBC Radio on Sunday.
He was unequivocal in his condemnation of the sex abuse dating back to the 1970’s and 80’s that has emerged since former Crewe Alexandra youth player Andy Woodward went public last November.&nbsp;
Beckham was part of a legendary Manchester United youth team which included future stars like Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers Gary and Phil.
“There was never anything like that,” said the 41-year-old, capped 115 times and captain of his country on 59 occasions.
“It is disgraceful and something has to be done.
“The closest we ever came to that was when certain professionals in the senior team would make us do a&nbsp;funny dance in front of our heroes at the time.
“It was humiliation but that was just to teach us a lesson.
“I would like to think clubs are all on board with this and the FA (Football Association) are doing all they can and the more these ex professionals express their opinions there will be more done.”
Beckham was appearing as the guest on the 75th anniversary edition&nbsp;of the renowned ‘Desert Island Discs’ programme.

– England caps –

The invitee is allowed to choose eight records and to take to the mythical desert island a copy of The Bible, the Complete Works of William Shakespeare and is allowed a book of their choice as well as a special object.
Beckham said he would take his England caps to the island, a less controversial choice than late great American writer Norman Mailer who opted for marijuana.
Beckham said he keeps his caps at home but his medals are in a bank in safekeeping as they are for his children and has over 1000 pairs of football boots in storage.
His selection of music was eclectic.
But there might be words at home as not one of them was by his wife Victoria’s former band ‘The Spice Girls’. &nbsp;&nbsp;
The one record he said he would take to the desert island would be Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘Every Time We Say Goodbye’.&nbsp;
“We used to get to my grandparents at 8 on a Saturday morning and I would sit in my grand dad’s chair,” said Beckham.
“He was stern but loving and used to work nights and get up at 11 in the morning.
“I would always be watching Football Focus (BBC programme on a Saturday) and he”d say ‘out’ (of the chair) whether it was me or my sisters and do the same with my children.
“The thing I always remember is Ella Fitzgerald’s song would always be playing in his flat.”
Beckham also chose Spanish song ‘No es no Lismo’ by Alejandro Sanz as he used to go to a &nbsp;Spanish bar on his own to eat ham and drink beer so he could learn the language.
He told the BBC that his initial stages of dating Victoria were carefully orchestrated by her manager Simon Fuller.
“He was very protective and he kind of wanted to keep it quiet,” said Beckham, who has gone on to have four children with Victoria.
– Purple top hat –

“I used to drive down to see her and we used to sit in the car park (of a local restaurant) and talk.
“I had an amazing bright blue BMW, I had spent all my adidas contract money on it and was still living in lodgings.
“So we used to sit in the car park, we would kiss of course and talk.”
Beckham, who said he refused to watch United matches for three years following their decision to sell him to Real Madrid which took him unawares as he was on holiday in the United States, joked about the extravagance of his wedding to Victoria in 1999. &nbsp;&nbsp;
“We have renewed our vows since and it was a lot quieter with only six people there,” he said.
“I even had a top hat in purple at the wedding. What was I thinking!”
Beckham, who signed his first contract with United aged 14 after he had sparkled aged 10 and 11 at the Bobby Charlton school in Manchester, said his marriage to Victoria had had its bad times but they remained deeply in love.&nbsp;
“We are a strong family unit because our parents brought us up with the right values,” he said.
“Of course we make mistakes, it’s difficult but you work through it.
“People have said because we’re a brand we stay together but it’s not, it is because we love each other and we have four amazing children.
“We are very respectful of our lives when we have tough times we work through it.”

Football sex abuse scandal a disgrace, says Beckham

Football sex abuse scandal a disgrace, says Beckham - World Soccer Talk

<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/david-beckham.jpg"><div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-75267" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/2013/05/david-beckham-500x338.webp" alt="david-beckham" width="500" height="338" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px"></figure></div></a>
David Beckham agrees with Sir Alex Ferguson’s assessment that he was not a “world-class” player. The former Manchester United manager’s latest autobiography includes a claim that he managed only four players deserving of that description during his long Old Trafford reign. Former England captain Beckham was a notable absentee from a list which comprised of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Eric Cantona.
SEE MORE: <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2015/05/21/maldini-tackles-beckham-in-miami-should-mls-be-worried-by-simon-evans/">Maldini challenging Beckham in Miami – should MLS be worried?</a>
Asked if he was “insulted” by his omission, Beckham told BBC News: “Not at all.”
<blockquote>“I played for the greatest manager of all time for the amount of time that I did, I was lucky to play with the players I did and be successful with the club that I loved and still love.
“I tend to agree with the manager. There’s certain players that you can call world-class, thankfully I played with many of them.
“I’m proud as a Manchester United player that we were successful and I’m proud as a Manchester United player that we have the best players come to our team.”</blockquote>
Beckham spent the first 11 years of his 20-year career under Ferguson at Old Trafford, winning six league titles, two FA Cups and one UEFA Champions League while with Manchester United.&nbsp;He left the club in 2006 for Real Madrid and went on to play for the LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, earning four more league titles.
<div class="ckeditor-em"><iframe loading="lazy" width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/225304998&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false"></iframe></div>
In 2009, Beckham played his final game for the England national team, concluding an international career that featured&nbsp;17 goals and 115 caps – the latter a record for English field players. He&nbsp;served as captain of the Three Lions from 2000 to 2006, including during the team’s appearances at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.
World Soccer Talk contributed to this report.

Beckham agrees with Alex Ferguson, says he was not world class

Beckham agrees with Alex Ferguson, says he was not world class - World Soccer Talk

Latest news from David Beckham. Find out about all the news related to David Beckham on worldsoccertalk.com