David Beckham, the English soccer icon, came to Long Island and I had the joy of greeting him in real life! After watching “Beckham,” the four-part series on Netflix, I was blown away learning about his passionate relationship with his family and football/soccer. After all, I could relate to loving your family and your work!
Beckham and his wife, Victoria, are the ultimate power couple, he being famous for philanthropy and his skills on the soccer field and she becoming a fashionista, with her cosmetic brand and fashions being a “must have!” And they’ve built a wonderful family together, having three boys, a girl and great passion for each other.
Remarkably, he appeared in person at the Long Island Association’s fall luncheon for 900 people and I had the great joy of meeting and speaking to him.
I greeted him with a hand shake as he entered the Crest Hollow Country Club’s ballroom before he took the stage for a half-hour interview with Long Island Association (LIA) Executive Director Matt Cohen, who asked David about his ownership of the MLS team, Inter Miami, and Salford City FC in England, nurturing their young soccer players.
David talked with pride about how he wants to nurture young talent, just as he had been as a child.
His devotion to UNICEF — he is an ambassador for them — brought huge applause from the audience.
When David left the stage to a standing ovation, he began signing autographs for the young soccer players who had been invited to the luncheon to meet him.
He is one of the greatest soccer players in the world and uniquely led teams to victory in England, France, Spain and the United States throughout his decades-long career.
While he was signing autographs, I asked him how he withstood the fans’ boos week after week after he took a red card penalty that made him leave the field and his team lose the tournament. He said, “I put my head down and worked harder! It actually helped me become who I am today, both as a person and player.” Such wise words!
When I watched each part of the “Beckham” series on Netflix, I took away life lessons. Here is a working class young man who adored playing soccer and had a dad who was a tough coach, but saw his son had talent and encouraged his perseverance.
At an early age, Beckham learned the value of working hard, practicing and perfecting his skills, which he turned into a lifetime commitment. He said clearly to the young boys from local soccer teams, “you must love what you do.”
As Beckham’s career soared, so did his love of his wife Victoria. I am a romantic and to see how he adored her, needed her and appreciated her so deeply made me love him, too!
He proved that there is no easy path to success; he was always the first to arrive at practice and the last to leave. He is a true champion who is now nurturing future champions.
I loved when he shared his pride in his children, who are hard working, humble kids. He is so proud of them and considers them his greatest achievement and legacy.
For anyone who sees the “Beckham” series, it’s obvious to see how he never gave up when adversity hit and took pride in getting up every morning and doing what he loved.
Watch the series on Netflix and you, too, will love every minute of this extraordinary man’s story!
Saturday night with Jonah
Thanks to my friend Jonathan Blau, the president and CEO of Fusion Family Wealth, I had four tickets to take my grandson Jonah and his friends to the first home game of Long Island’s favorite hockey team, the Islanders.
We made our way to the impressive UBS Arena on the Cross Island Parkway. Our seats were in the suite overlooking one of the goals, but the enormous TV monitors hovering over the center of the ice rink gave us the best view to watch the game!
My heart swelled with pride as the announcer asked the more than 17,000 people filling the arena to stand and take a moment of prayer for the Israeli people as the Israeli flag boldly filled the enormous screens.
It was a treasured moment, as was having special time with Jonah. What fun!
