English footballer makes final home appearance for the Ligue 1 champions PSG in 3-1 win over Brest
With the Beatles ringing in his ears and tears in his eyes, David Beckham admitted that his starring role in Paris Saint-Germain’s French title party was the last chapter of his colourful career.
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David Beckham can hardly keep his emotions in check after being substituted against Stade Brestois 29 at Parc des Princes on Saturday. PICS/Getty Images, AFP
The 38-year-old former England captain, one of the most high-profile players to shuffle between football and celebrity, made his final home appearance for the Ligue 1 champions late on Saturday before heading into retirement.
Only a bystander
Although PSG have one more game left to play, next weekend’s meaningless fixture on an unforgiving plastic pitch at humble Lorient will almost certainly see Beckham watching from the sidelines.
25 members of Beckham’s family were present at the stadium on Saturday, including Victoria Beckham
“We have one more game officially, but it’s a plastic surface and it was only a few years ago that I ruptured my Achilles (tendon). So whether or not I play, who knows?,” said Beckham after PSG marked their Ligue 1 triumph with a 3-1 win over relegated Brest.
Beckham, who rose from modest beginnings in east London to amass a fortune of £165 million (USD 252 million, 195 million euros), has been linked with a raft of future career possibilities.
Beckham’s mother Sandra West and daughter Harper Beckham
They range from promotional roles with PSG and China and British Sky Sports television, to buying a stake in an American club in Major League Soccer where he has already played for Los Angeles Galaxy.
But, as befits a sports diplomat in the making, Beckham preferred to concentrate on the end of his brief, five-month stay with PSG rather than the unfamiliar challenges of retirement.
The stadium gave him a standing ovation as he left the pitch 10 minutes from time in floods of tears at the end of an evening which had seen him handed the captain’s armband by coach Carlo Ancelotti.
He was saluted by a guard of honour from his teammates before he climbed the podium to receive his Ligue 1 title medal.
Brit grit
Draped in an English flag and serenaded by the Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye”, a laser show accompanied a brief video highlights reel of his time with the club.
It concluded with the words: “Thank you David”.
His sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruzu00a0
“The emotions started kicking in about 20 minutes before I went off. It was hard to even run and kick the ball. And to see the reaction of the players was really special,” he said.
With 25 members of his family looking on — including his parents and wife Victoria — Beckham admitted that his own sons had already made off with the match-day souvenirs.
“The boys nicked my boots and shorts and medal,” Beckham told Sky Sports.u00a0“The experience has been the best. I feel so lucky to have had this profession for 20 years. It’s very special and to go out like this, it could not be any more perfect.”
Captaincy calling
Beckham said he felt humbled by being named captain.u00a0“When the manager told me, it was really special. To be an Englishman as captain on a night which meant so much to the fans. It was an amazing gesture and I will always be thankful for it.”
Last week, Beckham had helped PSG to their first league title since 1994 with a win over Lyon, and then announced he would retire at the end of the season having captured a championship in a fourth different league — he had already succeeding with Man United, Real Madrid and Galaxy.u00a0
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