David Beckham has been honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as the United States marks the beginning of its first men’s World Cup on home soil since 1994.
The former Manchester United and England captain was joined by his wife Victoria Beckham and actor Tom Cruise at the ceremony in Los Angeles on Friday.
Beckham told fans gathered on Hollywood Boulevard that it was a “truly incredible moment”.
“I’ve always been a dreamer, but I could never have imagined that an honour like this would come to a working-class English soccer player like me,” he said.
“How fitting then that I am here today as we prepare to celebrate the opening here in the US of the 2026 World Cup.
“It’s a powerful moment to recognise how the sport I love so much has grown in this country over the past three decades.”
Romeo Beckham, Harper Beckham, David Beckham, Victoria Beckham and Cruz Beckham pose next to David’s newly unveiled Hollywood Walk of Fame star
Beckham spent six seasons with LA Galaxy after joining the club in 2007, a move widely credited with helping to raise the profile of football in the United States.
Speaking at the ceremony, Cruise said Beckham’s arrival in Los Angeles had helped change the sport in the country.
“When David arrived, Major League Soccer had 13 teams. Today, it has 30,” he said.
“That’s the impact we’re celebrating today: not just an extraordinary career, but a legacy that changed the trajectory of a sport.”
Beckham paid tribute to Cruise, describing the Mission: Impossible star as a loyal friend and an inspiration.
“To stand here in front of my friend Tom Cruise, the greatest movie star of our time, is quite frankly mind-blowing,” he said.
Tom Cruise and David Beckham
“You welcomed us to LA 20 years ago, and you have been a loyal friend and an inspiration to me ever since.”
Victoria Beckham, a former Spice Girl who is now a fashion designer and businesswoman, said football in the United States was entering “one of the most exciting chapters in its history”.
The United States is co-hosting this year’s World Cup with Mexico and Canada. The US team opened their campaign in Los Angeles later on Friday with a 4-1 win over Paraguay.
Beckham retired from football in 2013 after a career that included spells with Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, LA Galaxy and Paris Saint-Germain.
He later became co-owner of Inter Miami CF, who signed Lionel Messi in 2023 and won the MLS Cup for the first time last season.
Beckham has also moved into the entertainment industry, founding the content production company Studio 99 in 2019.
Source: AFP