Alan Shearer explains David Beckham hope as talk of English football investment sparked
David Beckham was in attendance for Birmingham City's win over Wrexham on Monday night, alongside former NFL star Tom Brady, and Alan Shearer has had his say
by James Smailes, David Craven, David Craven · ChronicleLiveAlan Shearer has acknowledged the significant potential impact of footballing legend David Beckham taking a financial interest in an English team, similar to his investment in the US with Inter Miami.
The iconic former player of Manchester United, Real Madrid, and England, aged 49, has substantially influenced American football through his role at Inter Miami. Adding a touch of glamour to the English Football League (EFL), Beckham was seen at the Birmingham versus Wrexham match alongside NFL star Tom Brady on Monday evening.
His fellow England colleague, Shearer commented, "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 remarked in a Betfair interview, 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 spoke about the global attention the EFL has received due to the high-profile ownership of teams like Wrexham, which is backed by Hollywood's Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, reports the Mirror.
He expressed, "When you've got high-profile owners who are determined to make a statement, and when you look at what Birmingham have spent, and where Wrexham have come from to where they are now, they're both great stories."
Shearer highlighted the worldwide coverage resulting from celebrities being involved with EFL clubs, stating, "You're getting David 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."
Alan Shearer, the Newcastle United icon and Match of the Day pundit, has heaped praise on Wayne Rooney for his daring move to manage Plymouth Argyle, alluding to the challenge of leaving a comfortable position in punditry for the rigours of management. He was caught sharing his delight: "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."
"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."
"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."