‘He’s overrated’- Piers Morgan takes swipe at David Beckham
‘He’s overrated’- Piers Morgan takes swipe at David Beckham
Transcript
00:00 And of course, there's lots of moaning about the press
00:01 to fan his various managers.
00:03 So is it all a load of old golden balls?
00:06 We're here to decide as the man who brought Beckham to LA Galaxy,
00:09 Alexei Lalas, and podcaster James Barr.
00:11 Right, Alexei, hit me with it, then,
00:13 because I've always found these two a bunch of self-promoting whiners
00:17 who basically exploit every situation for personal financial gain.
00:21 Discuss.
00:22 Yeah, I mean, I don't think that the documentary is going to change
00:29 your opinion of them,
00:30 but I think it kind of set out to humanise David and Victoria for that matter.
00:34 And I think, in a sense, it does.
00:36 I think it makes them a little bit more likeable,
00:38 whether you're seeing David putter around with his bees and his honey
00:42 or on barbecue or his OCD when it comes to his clothes.
00:46 But I also think that there's some misses.
00:48 So it's entertainment.
00:51 And I think, ultimately, you get a glimpse into what David Beckham is,
00:55 but only the glimpse that he and Victoria and David Beckham
00:58 and the machine wants you to get a glimpse of.
01:00 Right, and, James, that's my issue with it,
01:02 is that this is a very sanitising...
01:03 It's a bit like the Meghan and Harry Netflix one,
01:06 but all we're getting is basically a PR job.
01:08 I mean, I love Meghan and Harry, and I think the documentary was pivotal.
01:11 However, this documentary... It was absolutely horrific, but go on.
01:14 This documentary is so boring.
01:16 I mean, Rebecca Luz isn't even named, which is...
01:18 She's my second cousin, by the way. Incredible. Really?
01:20 Yes, there's a bombshell for you. Wow! Yeah.
01:23 Well, she's not named, so I imagine she feels this is quite disrespectful.
01:26 She's one of the most interesting things around her story.
01:28 Also, David Beckham really betrayed the LGBTQ+ community
01:32 when he worked with Qatar.
01:34 He, last week, said that it was actually a safe place for LGBT people,
01:38 even though people are murdered for being gay there.
01:40 So it does strike me as a bit shocking that he didn't sort of
01:43 bring up how part of Brand Beckham was built on...
01:46 Well, he wasn't really challenged about anything substantive.
01:49 I mean, it was interesting to hear them talk, and, you know,
01:52 I mean, Beckham was a good footballer, but, Alexi,
01:54 I've always felt that he's overrated in the pantheon of great players.
01:58 He's a good player, but he was never a great player.
02:01 Yeah, but he was, you know, arguably, and maybe still is,
02:07 one of the most famous people on the planet,
02:09 and I think that's another thing that the documentary
02:10 doesn't really delve into, is this brand.
02:13 I think... I find it as interesting as the actual player on the field.
02:17 And to your point, look, we all know a titillating part
02:21 is the affair and the alleged cheating and all that,
02:23 and if you're going to bring it up, I don't know,
02:25 but after watching it, I turned around and said, "Wait, that's it?"
02:28 Cos they kind of just veered off into something else,
02:30 and it never actually was addressed.
02:32 I get it, it's personal.
02:33 If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine,
02:35 but if you're going to talk about it in the documentary,
02:37 then there's got to be something definitive.
02:39 And the intentional vagueness in that moment, I think, was stark,
02:43 and a missed opportunity, and one that really stands out.
02:47 What is Beckham's reputation in America now, would you say?
02:50 Now, I think with the ownership that he has with Inter Miami
02:56 and now bringing Messi, I think there's one of business,
02:59 I think there's one of stardom.
03:00 I also think that he, in the history of American soccer,
03:03 his coming to Major League Soccer and to the United States,
03:06 I do think that it's looked at as a seminal,
03:08 and rightfully and fairly so, a seminal type of moment
03:11 that changed the structure and the league.
03:14 I don't think that he's looked at it in the same way that,
03:16 for example, Pele, when he came and played in the NSL, looked.
03:19 And to your point about the player,
03:22 Messi has always been about on the field
03:24 and what he does on the field.
03:26 David has been about everything on the field and off the field.
03:29 And James, Victoria Beckham in all this, how does she come over?
03:33 Oh, I mean, it's so unrelatable that she had her dad
03:35 drive her to school in a Rolls Royce.
03:36 And the fact that she's trying to hide that is hilarious.
03:38 Listen, I love Victoria Beckham.
03:40 I've always loved the Spice Girls. I'm a Spice boy.
03:42 I also think that's what's upsetting about this documentary.
03:45 Like, it's more about him. I just don't really care.
03:47 I want to see Victoria Beckham getting back to what she does best.
03:50 And what she does best is pointing in the Spice Girls.
03:54 So can we please get a reunion?
03:56 Yeah, I wouldn't mind a Spice Girls reunion.
03:59 I wouldn't mind that, actually. I think it'd be quite fun.
04:01 But they couldn't have any auto-tuning.
04:03 They'd have to actually be heard singing as they actually sing.
04:05 James, Alexei, good debate.
04:07 Thank you both. I appreciate it.
04:09 Ginger Spice, baby. Ginger Spice.
04:11 (laughing)