David Beckham reflects on his career

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David Beckham speaking to Gary Neville in 2013 after announcing his retirement from football.

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So you’ve just announced your retirement why now um I think over the years when I’ve seen players retire um you know when you ask them about it they always say they you’ll know when you’re ready and I think I know when I’m ready you know I

Think I’m ready you think or you know I think you know I love the game so so much you know how much we love the game and um I just feel that I don’t know I don’t know you know it’s the right time I believe it’s the

Right time um but I I’ll always feel that I can do more that’s the problem when did that moment come when did it hit you um probably when Messi was running past me uh in that home game no um when did I feel I actually don’t know you know I

Just I just feel that I’ve been so lucky throughout my career I just feel that you know the fact that I’ve played for the clubs that I’ve played for the players that I’ve played with won the trophies that I’ve won um you know playing the MLS last year uh winning the championship there

And then coming to PSG and winning the French league here um I think it’s you know it’s it’s a good way to go out you’ve been a football player for 22 years for six years of that 22 more than 25% you lived in Salford in lower Bram Road how much

Did those early days 16 to 22 have an impact on that discipline to be a hardworking player how much of it was already in you and how much of it was taught to you by the people that were around you in those early years at Manchester United the early years of of

My career at Manchester was was the foundation of my whole life and my whole career um without those early years of you know living in lodgings coming up from manchest coming up from London to live in Manchester living in the lodgings playing with the players that are that are played with watching the

First team train um cleaning their boots cleaning the shells cleaning the baths going through the things that we went through as as youth as youth team players that’s what shaped my career you know without that um I probably wouldn’t have never have achieved what I’ve achieved um you know in my career

Because you know to to have had the stability to have had the you know the the aggression of of coaches that we had you know with knobby Styles Eric Harrison you know Archie Knox obviously the boss you know these These are the coaches that have made my career the

Goal against Wimbledon which obviously television had changed the Premier League had come but that was that the one moment because it seems to me that was a huge moment from football going from here to there and you were almost at the Forefront of that do you

Recognize that um I I never think of it like that you know I never think that certain moments in my career have changed you know what’s gone on in football you know people say that about obviously the Greece goal people say that about certain moments throughout my

Career but you know scoring the goal against wimon I was more pleased that Canton I came up to me in the Chang room and said great gold than than than thinking about anything else um so I never I don’t look at it like that people ask me what was the best moment

In my career I don’t even have to think about it being at Manchester United from 15 years old um being able to go into the changing room see Brian Robson Steve Bruce and um and Norman Davis asking me to pick a pair of socks up or a pair of

Underpants of Brian robson’s you know that was that was you know that was what made me want to be at Manchester United um and that’s what that’s what I love that’s what changed my life it’s it’s what when I look back at my career it’s

What I’m most proud of to have said that I’ve played for Manchester United and won and been successful with Manchester United you know nothing nothing compares to that when you know when I look back at the career that I had there um and I owe you know almost everything to the manager for

That you know the he was he was the person that brought me to the club he was the person that signed me he was the person that give us the opportunity to play for the club that we loved um and I I’ll forever be grateful to him um for solely for that

Reason and I think the moment we won the treble the moment we won the European Cup I I you kind of you you never really saw too much emot from the manager but I think that night I personally could you could see he was so proud that he’d won

The European Cup not just for Manchester United but so proud that he’d seen so many of us come through as kids and go on to win the biggest football competition for for Manchester United do you wish he’d stayed longer do you wish he’ done little things differently do

You have any regrets about that period in your career I’m I mean I always say that you know I haven’t got any regrets um there’s certain things that like I said I don’t have any regrets but there’s certain things that I look back and I think I should have

Done different and should have um been different but I think when I was at Manchester United um you know at 23 24 25 years old you know I was headstrong I was stubborn um and I I think there was moments where I look back and I think maybe I should have

Been different maybe I should have done things different but um and you want to go into detail in or not not really because I think you know moments and I know moments but I think you know I wouldn’t want um I wouldn’t change anything at the end of the day

You know I don’t regret anything but are there things that I wish I’d have done different of course you moved on from United to Madrid which is completely the opposite you had so many managers in a short period of Time how how did that affect you in terms of the difference

Between United where you had one manager and then numerous managers in a short Pace space of time I mean I think that was hard you know that was that was a hard moment in my career um because I went from such stability with Manchester United like you said with one

Manager the same kind of players throughout that time at Manchester United and then I moved to Madrid where I think I had four managers in four years or five managers in four years and that was not natural for me um and I was totally out my comfort zone but um but I

Adapted it was only in the last few months really where obviously you’ve been left out of the team I think Fabio Capello was the manager at the time and then you got back in but then you’d agreed to go to LA Galaxy was that something that you wish You’ to give a

Bit more time to or you happy were you ready to go to America she always wanted to go to America didn’t you yeah it was it was you know I got to a point in my career where it was a passion of mine to go to America and to try and Achieve um

You know making football bigger in in United States um but when when obviously when I was at Madrid um I’d gone through so many different emotions in that last year I’d gone from being an England player to not being an England player missing 11 games uh under Steve McLaren

To them being bought back to then being at Real Madrid being told by Fabio that um Fabio Capello that uh I wouldn’t play for the club again uh and that I know wasn’t coming from him it was coming from somewhere else but um because I

Have so much respect for him as a as a person as a manager and he always supported me throughout you know the the career that I had with him as a as a manager um and then obviously being bought back into the team uh winning the

League with with Real Madrid which was a huge thing um and then obviously making the decision of going to America you know that was a big thing because before Florentino Perez left Real Madrid he he literally just offered me a new four-year contract which I was I’d

Agreed to sign um and then obviously Calderon came in and things turned around and um were the politics hard there different for you to understand or difficult for you I just didn’t understand it you know the politics side of of the club was was hard to understand because one minute there was

One president in that loved me and that wanted me to sign for another four years uh and then the next minute there was a a different president in and uh and things you know for me being at a club like Manchester United that was totally stable for the for the amount of time

That I was there to to then go into a club which was obviously run totally differently I’m not saying it was it’s wrong but you know it’s obviously run differently um but I think you know when we when we talk about stability you know that’s where that’s where success comes

From but you wouldn’t change the experience of playing with zidan and feo Ronaldo Roberto caros R and all those players would you no no 100% I would never change anything about my career you know I always thought that I would start at Manchester United and leave at Manchester United uh you know finish

Playing playing there um that changed obviously when I moved to Real Madrid um but my my dream when I left man united was to play for another one of the biggest clubs in the world uh and my dream was to play with the likes of Ronaldo and zidan and Roberto caros and

R you know these these you look back at you know I look back at my career uh and I’ve gained so much experience from playing with these players and playing in different teams and I’d never changed that because I I think it’s helped me I

Think it’s helped me as a player I think it’s helped me as an individual to understand different cultures and different way of playing um and I think it’s helped me in you know my game with England as well so I would never change anything when you went to America I mean

Obviously for me looking at it from somebody who knows you but somebody as a football person as well thinking you’ve got more to give in the big leagues was the part of you that was nervous about you know going over to America and playing in what is not the same standard

As football as his Spanish League or is the English league or were you was it more of a lifestyle decision and obviously ambition to create a bigger uh MLS if you like a bigger game in America was it was it both of those things or

Was it just a per you wanted to get away from Europe it was never a lifestyle decision no you know I UND I understood that it would be a great lifestyle for my family for the kids but for me personally you know Victoria knows everyone knows around me my decisions

About playing are made solely about playing it’s not about a lifestyle um of course it was a great lifestyle over there but you know my initial decision was I want to go there because I want to raise the profile of of football um and of course I was nervous you know I was

Nervous because it was another challenge I’m always nervous when I make a decision about a big Challenge and and I knew it was going to be a big one I knew people might crit criticize me for it and say you know you’re 31 years old

Youve still got a good few years l left uh playing top level but I knew that I’d made the right decision I knew that I wanted to go to America and and be part of something that is getting bigger uh and in the six years that I played there

I saw so many changes happen I saw so much more interest in the game and that is what made it worth it for me you know I wanted to be successful with the Galaxy I wanted to win a championship um but I understood my role as an

Ambassador I understood my role as as a as a player that was coming to you know a new a new city uh and a new environment I knew that I had to work hard outside of the game as well let’s talk about England because you had enormous Pride you have enormous Pride

Even now about England but you had enormous pride in playing for your country it was almost the most important thing to you um yeah I think you know as as a young kid I had two dreams one to play for Manchester United and two to play

For England um not in that order you know Manchester United was meant so much to me um but I think as an Englishman you know I wanted to represent my country I wanted to Captain my country I wanted to play in World Cups I wanted to

Score goals uh at Wembley uh I was able to do that not with England I didn’t score any goals but uh with Manchester United obviously scoring at Wembley but playing for England was you know was the highlight of my career it always always has been and always will be um I’m very

Proud of what I’ve achieved uh throughout my England career I very proud to have played for my country for 115 times you know it’s it’s something that when when my my boys look back uh and my little girl I look back and she’ll be like my daddy played for

England for 115 times you know that’s that’s special that that’s probably the most emotional I’ve ever seen you in 2006 where you had to give up the captaincy it was almost like you just did not want that to happen it was almost like you letting go of something

That was so important to you I I think that was one of the most emotional times you know I don’t I am emotional person but I kind of try and keep it in when uh I have you know an audience um but it just it got the best of me that day the

Better of me that day um to sit in front of you know uh uh the journalists and and you know National TV and and say I’m giving up the captaincy that was that was difficult you know we’d just been knocked out of a competition I had no

Sleep the night before through you know obviously being knocked out um and the disappointment of that and then obviously to have to wake up and and know that I’ve uh I’m going to sit there and hand the captaincy over that was that was difficult because being being

Given the captain’s arm band for my country was the proudest moment of my career without a doubt you know to to walk out you know for England against Italy wearing the armband for the first time um that was emotional and then to know that I had to hand it over and it

Was the right time but you know we talk about knowing the right time for my for for my retirement I knew that it was the right time as hard as it was I knew that it was the right time to hand it over the stimulation adrenaline the buzz of

The change room the band of the everything that you are a footballer for is not going to there what are you going to do I think I’m always going to need to keep busy because I’m that kind of person you know I I want to work I want

To I want to be busy I want to continue to work hard to do what I’m doing outside of the game um but I’ve been away from home since 1991 um and it’s it’s time for me to go home to London it’s time for me to you

Know spend time with my family see my children see my wife you know be home with my parents you know it’s it’s it’s simple things of popping around to see my nan simple things of popping around to take my mom for breakfast you know I haven’t been able to do that for 22

Years um so those are the things those are the little things that um are going to be special to me you know I’ve loved what I’ve done through my career I’ve loved every place that I’ve lived you know I’ve tried to make every city uh my home you know wherever I’ve gone whether

It be Manchester for the amount of time that I lived there you know obviously Madrid La um when I lived in Milan and obviously living in Paris I’ve always tried to you know change myself into that culture um but I haven’t lived in London for a long long time and I’m

Looking forward to going home something I’ve never understood good but bear with me a second you go to a hotel room for a night and you depersonalize that hotel room from all the books all the magazines all the room service menus you bring I don’t know what your candle bill

Has been for the last 22 years but you bring candles with you you bring pictures of the family and you make even if it’s just for one night that hotel room you’re home is that because you’ve never been home it probably is I’ve never I’ve never thought of it that way

Um because you know I just thought it was weird I mean we obviously shared rooms we’ve obviously shared rooms and um a sausage roll on my side and a candle just fluttering on the other I’ve never thought of it that way but maybe consciously that’s what I kind

Of have missed you I’ve missed being at home um and I haven’t had that for a number of years but it’s true you know when I go into a hotel room whether it’s a night or whether it’s a week or whether it’s a month I kind of I need to

Feel as if you know it’s my home um but you know um I’ll be in my real home in a few weeks and that’s that’s going to be special will you be a coach a manager I don’t want to be a coach or a manager you know I think I’ll always I’ll always

Be involved in the game in some way but I think that that’s where what I’ve done outside of my football comes into play now I think that’s what I’m excited about to be honest you know um I’ve been able to do so many things throughout my career

Outside of the game um I think that’s what I’m looking forward to uh doing I’ve I’ve got plans with so many different things uh and now obviously not going into training every day not being so regimented with what I have to do um as a footballer uh it enables me

To be able to you know go and do other things and be involved in other things and I think that’s that’s why I’m glad that I’ve done the things that I’ve done outside of my career how will you stay in football and connected to football and have an impact in football it’s it’s

Been in the papers that you know suggested owner of a football club Ambassador are they the type of things that would interest you yeah definitely you know uh obviously I’ve got the option of of owning a football club in in the MLS and I will do that uh that’s

One of the things that obviously um plans have been put into place with that hands on pretty hands on pretty hands on stability stability yeah stability uh unless the manager crap but uh um no I think you know I’ve obviously got that option I’ve got over the last five years

I’ve kind of grown into doing ambassadorial stuff whether it’s been for for the club that I’ve been out or whether it’s been for England or whether it’s been you know things like the Olympics and the World Cup bids um you know that’s been that’s been something that I’ve been passionate about and a

Role that I’ve actually really enjoyed and the media I mean it’s I woke up a month ago it said Beckham signs for Sky I’m thinking I quite like Monday Night Football I better go and get a new suit as well the does the media interest you or

Not no no no not not you know I think I’m I’m I’m not as good as you at what you do on a m talking um so no obviously I’m I’m very very proud to be part of Sky I’m very proud to have the partners that I’ve got

Um uh you know outside of the game but uh you know the media side of things I’ll leave to you and to to other people to to do because um you know you bet you are better at talking him than you always have been how do you want to be

Remembered as a football player as a person over this last 22 years and everything that you’ve achieved as someone who did what achieved what what’s most important to you I just want people to see me as a as a hardworking footballer someone that’s passionate about the game and someone that every

Time I stepped on the pitch um I’ve given everything that I have um because that’s that’s how I feel going into games at the end of my career that’s how I I look back on it and hope people will see me well you’ll be remembered for many many things you had an incredible

Career congratulations and good luck in the future mate well done thank you very much well done