- Ruud Gullit has revealed the difficulties that David Beckham has had with fame
- Beckham, who turns 50 on Friday, remains one of the world’s biggest stars
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David Beckham remains one of the most famous sports stars of all time, but there has been a significant negative side to his publicity.
As disclosed by his former manager at LA Galaxy, Ruud Gullit, Beckham previously spoke about how he was unable to go out in his own car as he was constantly chased by people.
Beckham, who turns 50 on Friday, enjoyed an illustrious career which included him winning an array of trophies at Manchester United before signing for Real Madrid.
His marriage to Victoria of the Spice Girls in 1999 further increased his global publicity.
Although he retired from playing in 2013, Beckham’s status as a global icon remains very much intact.
However, Gullit stated that Beckham has encountered numerous problems as a result of his fame.
Ruud Gullit has revealed the difficulties David Beckham has faced due to his fame
Beckham has been the subject of much publicity, especially during his time at Real Madrid
Gullit revealed what Beckham told him about his fame when they worked together at LA Galaxy
Speaking on Stick To Football, Gullit said: ‘I’ve been on that mountain [of fame] and I had to laugh when I was coach at LA Galaxy.
‘David Beckham was there, I said ‘David, I don’t want to trade [lives] with you’ – I’ve been there, done that. I said: ‘I can’t live like that, how can you do that?’ and he just [sighed] and said ‘Yeah’.
‘I said: ‘can’t you just go in your own car?’ he said: ‘No, Ruud I can’t. Because people chase me all the time’. People want bad things, they don’t want nice things out of you. So he needed to have all these people around him to protect him.
‘It’s horrible, he can’t go anywhere. I really must say, I admired him how he handled it, because he loves football, he was very very fond of going to the training ground, working hard, and still having that other life around it, it was amazing to see.’
Beckham remains heavily involved in football – he is the president of co-owner of Inter Miami, while he is also the co-owner of Salford City.
During his time at United Beckham won six league titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League, which included winning the treble in the 1998-99 season.
In addition, he won league titles with Real Madrid and PSG.
On the international stage Beckham made 115 appearances for England and scored 17 goals.
His marriage to Victoria from the Spice Girls added further to Beckham’s global appeal
Beckham enjoyed an illustrious playing career which included winning the treble with Man United
The former England star signed many brand deals, including a lifetime contract with Adidas
Beckham’s move to LA Galaxy in 2007 helped increase the popularity of football in the USA
The Beckhams frequently find themselves surrounded every time they attend an event
Beckham has signed many brand deals throughout his career, which included a lifetime contract with Adidas in 2003.
He has frequently appeared in adverts and also endorsed the successful North America bid (Canada, Mexico and the United States) to host the 2026 World Cup.
