David Beckham lined up for role amid Qatar and Sir Jim Ratcliffe battle
David Beckham is set for an ambassadorial role at Manchester United if Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani is successful with his bid for the club, it has been claimed.
Former England midfielder Beckham began his playing career on United’s books, ultimately leaving for Real Madrid in 2003. After rounding off his career with stints at LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, he has taken ceremonial roles elsewhere – including in relation to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim is one of two bidders still hopeful of taking control of the Manchester club, with British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe the other. Beckham dropped hints about the process while in Qatar for the weekend’s Formula 1 action in the gulf state, and fresh reports shed more light on his supposed role.
How Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Nice are mounting Ligue 1 title bid as Man Utd stuck in mid-table
Gary Neville gives bleak verdict on where Man Utd will finish in Premier League this season
According to talkSPORT, Beckham’s future role at United – if Sheikh Jassim takes over – would be ‘similar’ to the role he occupied around the last men’s World Cup. Beckham was paid a reported £125m for the role, and recently opened up about the arrangement amid questions over Qatar’s human rights record – especially in relation to LGBT+ rights.
“I do a lot of research into partners that I’m going into business with. And I wanted to be involved in another World Cup. I like to see the game grow, and that means it going into territories it hasn’t been in before,” Beckham told the Daily Telegraph.
“I knew there’d be questions, I knew there was going to be criticism, but I’ve always been a believer that football is such a powerful tool. I knew that once the World Cup started, not that it would go away, but it was all then about how people were treated, how people weren’t excluded, what an experience the World Cup would be.
“I spent a month out there, and not one person came up to me and said, ‘Oh my God, I’ve been treated like this, oh my God, I wasn’t allowed into this place…’ I was around the LGBTQ community, I spoke to people on the ground. So I was happy with my decision.”
Would you be happy to see David Beckham back at Manchester United? Have your say in the comments section
David Beckham was in Qatar for the 2023 Formula 1 Grand Prix (
Image:
Motorsport Images / SplashNews.com)
Beckham was asked about the United takeover situation shortly after Erik ten Hag’s team beat Brentford 2-1 at Old Trafford. “I think he’s [Ten Hag] a good coach,” he told Sky Sports. “It’s a difficult time at the moment but there’s a lot of noise around the club at the moment so it can’t be easy for him.
“We all want that noise to go away and we all want a decision to be made. For the club, for the fans, for the players and for the manager as well, because we are one of the if not the biggest club in the world and we want stability, and I think that’s the most important thing.
“We all have our favourites of who we feel needs to run the club and look after the club and take the club back to where it belongs, but in our eyes, in the fans’ eyes, we’re number one and we want to be back at the top, and I believe I know the right people to do that.” When asked if he was referring to Sheikh Jassim, he smiled and simply said “we’ll see”.
Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this link to receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
