That broad appeal didn’t happen by accident. It was built on Beckham’s football legacy in America.
He remains the player with the trademark free-kicks, part of Manchester United’s Treble-winning side in 1999, England captain and one of Real Madrid’s original Galácticos.
Dan Courtemanche, Major League Soccer’s executive vice-president and chief communications officer, admitted Beckham’s influence on the game in America cannot be overstated.
“I always tell people he changed the fate of American soccer. Not once, but twice,” he said.
When Beckham signed for LA Galaxy 19 years ago, stadiums across Major League Soccer sold out before he had even played a competitive match.
The league needed credibility and he gave it something even broader: mainstream celebrity.
Sixteen years later, Beckham helped persuade Argentina icon Messi to choose Inter Miami over rival offers globally – another moment that transformed MLS, according to Courtemanche.
“Lionel Messi decided to make Major League Soccer his league of choice and Inter Miami his club of choice,” he added. “Again, it took us to a whole other level.”
Tom Braun, LA Galaxy’s president and chief operating officer, said Beckham’s influence has stretched way beyond football.
“David’s an iconic figure in our sport and our culture,” he explained.
“He’s built a business around his brand and continues to resonate with people.”
The evolution of the 51-year-old, who also played for AC Milan and Paris St-Germain before retiring in 2013, was perhaps best symbolised this summer on Hollywood Boulevard.
When Beckham accepted his star on the Walk of Fame, he reflected he had never imagined “a working-class English footballer” would receive such an honour.
The recognition celebrated not only the life of Beckham the footballer, but Beckham the cultural figure.
“David Beckham, to America, is the World Cup,” Jones said.
“He is soccer to us.”
Having arrived in Los Angeles promising to grow the game, Beckham is still helping sell football to America.
Only now, he’s doing it not with a free-kick, but with a brand.
