He may have been retired from professional Football for more than two years, but the seemingly ageless David Beckham will gladly don his boots once again as part of a BBC television documentary. The film ‘Beckham: For the love of the game’ tracks the former England captain and Manchester United star as he plays in seven games of football across seven continents.
Global brand and well-known face
Beckham is a global brand and instantly recognisable face across the world these days, so was a natural choice for a programme demonstrating the global appeal of the game.
The 40-year-old is to travel to some of the most remote places on the planet to fulfil the challenge, ably illustrating how important football is to many people.
Ambitious project
Included among the far-flung ports of call are the foothills of Nepal and the first ever game in frozen Antarctica. With the villages of Papua New Guinea, desert plains of Djibouti, the streets of South America and Miami thrown into the equation for good measure, it promises to be a journey even Michael Palin would be proud of.
Poignantly his travels will end in Manchester, where his own football career began. That game is to feature a number of well-known international stars of the game, many of whom have previously played alongside or against the great man himself.
Good works with UNICEF
Outside of football, Beckham has sought to utilise his name and image to promote the good work of such as the United Nations. Since 2005 he has been an UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and to mark the tenth anniversary of his association with them, he has launched “7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund”. The aim of the new venture is to assist in the protection of millions of children most in danger around the world.
It is no small undertaking, as Beckham is personally committing a decade to the work.
No stranger to travelling the globe
The sporting icon was a frequent flier himself in his playing days. After spending 11 successful years at Manchester United in England, he moved to Spain to join the galacticos of Real Madrid. A further five years in America at LA Galaxy cemented his standing across the Atlantic, whilst seriously swelling his bank balance.
The Major League Soccer club also kindly allowed him to maintain a European presence in the off-season, with loan spells arranged at AC Milan in Italy. With his contract satisfied in America, Beckham finished his career at France’s top side, Paris Saint-Germain.
‘Excited’ about the project
Speaking about the new project, Beckham revealed that he had discussed the idea some time back with friends but had not expected such a complex concept would actually be realised. Now that it is set to come to fruition he enthused: “I’m genuinely excited” (about the new plans). His previous UNICEF involvement has enabled him to see first-hand “the transformational effect that sport” has on people’s lives.
The ninety-minute film is expected to be shown on the BBC next year.
