Let’s hope it’s a more flattering depiction than Ronaldo’s
David Beckham is set to be cast in bronze by his former club LA Galaxy, who will erect a statue of him outside their Dignity Health Sports Park stadium.
The former England captain was the first superstar to move to Major League Soccer, when he left Real Madrid for sunny California aged 31. Beckham proved to be something of a trailblazer, as other stars including Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard and Zlatan Ibrahimović followed suit in the twilight of their careers.
The 43-year-old spent six years in LA, enjoying brief loan spells back to Europe in the off-season, before retiring in 2013, with his final game ever coming at the Parc des Princes for Paris Saint-Germain.
He is now the co-owner of MLS expansion club Inter Miami, which is set to join the league in 2020, if they can finalise a deal on where to build their stadium.
Beckham’s effect on MLS cannot be under-estimated. His move in 2007 has given the league a huge boost in popularity and viewership, and the former Manchester United midfielder will become the first MLS player ever to receive a statue.
It will be unveiled before LA Galaxy’s first game of the season against Chicago Fire on 2 March.
Hopefully, it will show a stronger resemblance to its subject than the statue of Cristiano Ronaldo at Madeira airport, which looked like a child’s drawing that parents reluctantly stuck up on the fridge.
Beckham recently became a part-owner of non-league club Salford City alongside former Manchester United team-mates Gary and Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt.
