Former England and Newcastle striker Alan Shearer has hailed David Beckham’s impact on football and admitted it would be “huge” if the global icon invested in an English club
Tom Brady with David Beckham (Image: Getty Images)
Alan Shearer has shared his thoughts on the impact of David Beckham investing in English football, similar to what he’s achieved with Inter Miami.
Speaking on the influence Beckham could have, Shearer said in a recent Betfair chat: “We’ve seen what David Beckham has done with Inter Miami, bringing Lionel Messi to the club, and what that has done for soccer over in America.”
He added: “When you put Messi together with the brand David Beckham has, then it is huge for football, and it would be huge for an English side if Beckham were to invest here too.”
Shearer also highlighted the generous glow the EFL has received from star-studded ownerships such as Wrexham’s celebrity duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The former England captain stated: “When you’ve got high-profile owners who are determined to make a statement, and when you look at what Birmingham and Tom Wagner have spent, and where Wrexham have come from to where they are now, they’re both great stories.”
He further noted: “You’re getting Beckham sitting next to Tom Brady, with Rob McElhenney also in Birmingham on the same night, and the pictures of the three of them have been beamed all over the world, so it’s great for the EFL.”
Beckham indeed sprinkled some star quality onto the English game when he was spotted at the Blues vs Wrexham match alongside NFL icon Brady.
Shearer is all praise for the thriving EFL scene and particularly admires Wayne Rooney’s bold decision to step in as manager of Plymouth Argyle. Reflecting on a recent victory, he said: “I saw the reaction from Wayne Rooney and his coaching staff on the touchline when Plymouth got their winning goal vs Sunderland at the weekend. I was delighted for him because I was sat watching the scores come through for Match of the Day, and I’d seen Sunderland get it back to 2-2, but then the winning goal came so late on that you knew Plymouth had just won it.”
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Continuing to express his support for Rooney, Shearer added: “I’m pleased for Wayne because he’s shown some courage to go down to Plymouth and take that job on, and I really hope he can be a success. You saw what it meant to him and his coaching staff when the goal went in, and they were able to win the game against a team that had won their previous four games.
“It was a big result for Plymouth, and I hope they can take a lot from that. I’m really impressed with how Wayne wants to stay in football. He had his time at Derby, Birmingham and went back over to DC United as well. It takes a lot of courage. He loves coaching, managing and, because of his status as a player, it’d have been easy for him to sit back and do the job I’m doing in TV.”
On Rooney’s commitment to management over broadcasting opportunities, Shearer remarked: “I’m sure he’d have had plenty of opportunities to do so. However, he still wants to go and get his hands dirty on the touchline. It’s not an easy job to go all the way down to Plymouth, leave the family once again, so I admire him for doing it.”
