David Beckham, owner of Major League Baseball’s Inter Miami FC, has revealed that his football career has been influenced by NBA legends Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
Later in his career, he chose jersey numbers 23 and 32 to pay tribute to these basketball icons.
Beckham wore a variety of shirt numbers during his time at Old Trafford, but he is recognized for wearing the number 7 shirt, which he shares with George Best, Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo. Past legends like Ronaldo have a long history.
The shirt holds special significance for Beckham, especially as it was worn by his hero Bryan Robson.
However, when Beckham moved to Real Madrid in the summer of 2003, he realized that he would not be able to obtain the No. 7 jersey in La Liga, which Raul had already worn.
Fortunately, his passion for basketball led him to choose another number.
He recalled: “After I moved to Real Madrid, the No. 7 jersey was occupied by Raul. I never thought about it. I wouldn’t receive it anyway.”
He added, “So, I asked about the available numbers, and although No. 23 wasn’t originally on the list, I mentioned my great admiration for Jordan and being a huge fan of his, I asked, ‘Can I have 23 No.?’ They agreed, and that’s how it all started.”
David Beckham also praised Magic Johnson for his influence on his football career, explaining that he chose to wear No. 32 later in his career because he drew inspiration from the five-time NBA champion. .
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Beckham’s first Meeting and NBA legend Michael Jordan
David Beckham has described how he was starstruck when he first met his hero Michael Jordan in an expensive London restaurant.
Dave starts making fun of himself as a celebrity, but their attention is drawn to Michael Jordan, sitting in the corner smoking the biggest cigar they’ve ever seen.
“Look, look who he’s with,” they shouted. Their hero sat at a table and chatted with Madonna, pop star Ricky Martin and then-Gucci president Tom Ford. Neither of them could take their eyes away from this scene.
David Beckham expressed his deep admiration for Michael Jordan in his autobiography “With Both Feet on the Ground” and recounted this unforgettable encounter many times. He published his autobiography in 2003.
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