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David Beckham Retirement Interview with Gary Neville

May 16, 2013

David Beckham and Gary Neville were a hugely successful partnership for Manchester United and England so, when the former Three Lions captain opted to retire from football, his close friend was one of the first to speak to him about his decision.

Here are some extracts from Neville’s chat with Beckham - check out the video at the top of the page to see the interview in full.

Gary Neville: You’ve just announced your retirement. Why now?

David Beckham: I think over the years when I’ve seen players retire, you know, when you ask them about it, they always say ‘you’ll know when you’re ready’. And I think I know I’m ready. Obviously it’s a difficult decision because I still feel that I can play at the top level and still have done for the last six months. But I always, you know, secretly said to myself I want to go out at the top and if you’d have said to me eight months ago I’d be playing in the French league, winning the French Cup, winning the league and finishing like this, you know, I would have probably said ‘absolutely no chance’. But I was given the opportunity to come to PSG and I just feel now is the time.

Neville: You think or you know?

Beckham: I think... I love the game so much! You know how much we love the game, but I just feel…I don’t know, I don’t know, you know, it’s the right time. I believe it’s the right time. But I’ll always feel that I can do more - that’s the problem.

Neville: When did that moment come? When did it hit you?

Beckham: Probably when Messi was running past me! …No. I actually don’t know. You know, I just feel that I’ve been so lucky throughout my career. I just feel that you know, the fact that I’ve played for the clubs I’ve played for, the players that I’ve played with, won the trophies I’ve won. You know, playing in the MLS last year, winning the championship there, and then coming to PSG and winning the French league here, I think, it’s, you know, it’s a good way to go out.

Neville: You’ve always gone out on a high at every club - at United winning the league, Madrid, the MLS with La Galaxy last year... Is that important to you what’s happened in the last few weeks with PSG, that you’ve gone out as a winner?

Beckham: I think it’s every athlete’s dream, every footballer’s dream to go out on the top, you know, on top form or winning a trophy. It doesn’t happen that often but I’ve been lucky. When I left United we won the league; when I left Madrid we won the league; leaving the Galaxy, doing two years of winning the championship there and then obviously coming here and winning the league - it’s nice, it’s nice to go out like that. I think people look back and you know, it’s written, it’s simple - you’re leaving as a champion and I think that’s why I think it’s the right time.

Neville: How do you want to be remembered as a football player, as a person over this past 22 years with everything that you’ve achieved?... What’s more important to you?

Beckham: I just want people to see me as a hard-working footballer, someone that’s passionate about the game and someone that every time I’ve stepped on the pitch I’ve given everything that I have, because that’s how I feel. Going into games at the end of my career, that’s how I look back on it and hope people see me, because I think over the years it’s been, you know, my life and my career. Sometimes people have looked at certain other things that have gone on throughout my career, sometimes that’s overshadowed what I’ve done on the pitch or what I’ve achieved on the pitch, and as much as I say that doesn’t hurt me, of course it does.

At the end of the day I’m a footballer that has played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, played with some of the best players in the world, played under some of the biggest and best managers and achieved almost everything in football and I think, of course, it hurts when people, not question it, but think about other things.

And, to come to the end of my career now and look back and say, you know, I’ve achieved everything with every club that I’ve played for, played for my country 115 time, been running up twice World Player of the Year, to two Amazing Footballers; I’m very proud of that.