David Beckham is one of the world’s most famous soccer players, celebrated for his exceptional career and significant contributions both on and off the pitch.
He was part of Manchester United’s “Class of ’92,” a group of young talents who rose through the club’s youth academy to achieve unprecedented success. He captained the England national team from 2000 to 2006, played for some of the world’s biggest clubs and became the first English soccer player to win national league titles in four different countries.
“The reason I’ve been successful is because of teams that I’ve been part of. I was lucky to play for great teams with great managers and great players,” Beckham told CNBC’s Tania Bryer in the most recent episode of CNBC Meets.
Off the pitch, Beckham has long been committed to humanitarian work and has supported numerous charities and projects around the world, including UNICEF, for which he’s served as a Goodwill Ambassador for 20 years.
His work was recognized with a Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January this year.
Reflecting on his many humanitarian trips to countries around the world, David described gender inequality in action.
“Girls were being affected and were treated differently, and I wanted to be part of empowering these young girls… they just needed to be given the opportunity. They need to be treated the same,” Beckham said.
Since retiring in 2013, Beckham has continued to work with renowned brands such as Adidas, Hugo Boss and H&M, as well as starting his own ventures.
In 2018, he became a founder and co-owner of U.S. Major League Soccer club, Inter Miami. The team made headlines in 2023 with the signing of Argentine superstar, Lionel Messi.
“I wanted to be part of growing the game in America. I saw the challenges, I knew the opportunities and I knew that we could grow it to a certain level,” Beckham said.
Watch the video above for Tania Bryer’s interview with global icon David Beckham.