Beckham On Bellingham Partnering With Kim Kardashian: “As long as it doesn’t affect him on the field, what happens off it is secondary”

Photo by Ira L. Black - Corbis/Getty Images

In a recent interview on the Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, David Beckham reflected on key moments from his illustrious football career, his post-playing days, and his current role as a co-owner of Inter Miami.

Discussing his involvement with Inter Miami, Beckham opened up about his decision-making process as the club’s President of Football Operations. He credited both Florentino Pérez, the Real Madrid president, and Sir Alex Ferguson, his former Manchester United manager, for their guidance.

“Florentino has this crazy vision of always bringing the best players to the club and building this incredible stadium,” Beckham said. “The ‘Boss’ (Ferguson) advised me to give importance to how to manage the academy and the players I should look for.”

Inter Miami, which Beckham co-owns, was founded in 2018, with his first season as owner taking place in 2020. A major milestone in the club’s history occurred on June 7, 2023, when Beckham helped bring Lionel Messi to the MLS side. Beckham explained that signing the Argentine legend was about more than just improving the team’s competitiveness: “I wanted to give back to the United States what they have done for me by bringing Leo to inspire the next generation of players... I learned from Ferguson that you have to bring the best players and with Leo I knew that he was going to help the club grow on and off the field.”

The conversation also touched on Beckham’s former club, Real Madrid, and their current star, Jude Bellingham. The English midfielder recently became the face of Kim Kardashian’s brand, Skims, which led to Beckham offering his thoughts on balancing commercial opportunities with performance on the pitch.

“As long as it doesn’t affect him on the field, what happens off it is secondary because if his level is good, he will have many opportunities to sign big deals,” Beckham stated. “Bellingham is surrounded by his family and his brother. Every decision he has made has been very good.”

Beckham also reminisced about his time playing alongside two football icons at Real Madrid—Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo Nazario.

“Zidane is one of the best I have played with, his ball control is as elegant as watching a dancer,” Beckham stated. Speaking of Ronaldo, he recalled: “When you saw Ronaldo play, he was electrifying, and he is a really kind person. At Real Madrid, he also helped me, Victoria, and the children.”