David Beckham branded 'vulgar' by one of his former Inter Miami stars as ex-USMNT winger reveals how Man Utd legend 'got in my face' during MLS clash

One of the most iconic players of his generation, Beckham won hearts and minds across trophy-laden spells with United, Madrid and LA Galaxy. Donning his famed No. 7 shirt, the 50-year-old also earned 115 caps for England, captaining his country between 2000 and 2006.

Former AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain star Beckham has also received plaudits for his work off the pitch. In 2015 he had a fund named in his honour to mark a decade-long partnership between himself and humanitarian aid organisation, Unicef.

Beckham was formally knighted for his services to football and British society on 4 November at Windsor Castle.

However, Beckham has now been made aware that he wasn’t always worthy of admiration, particularly when he was on the pitch.

Former USMNT winger Brek Shea has lifted the lid on what it was like to lock horns with Beckham’s LA when making his professional debut as a 17-year-old for FC Dallas in 2008.

In awe of the United legend before the match, Shea soon became embroiled in an exchange which saw him get nose-to-nose with his hero, whose behaviour he has described as being distasteful.

Despite the clash, however, Shea - who later played for Beckham’s Miami between 2020 and 2022 - says he “loved every single bit” of what was a surreal experience.

In an interview with Jackpot City Casino, former Stoke City winger Shea said: “My first game as a professional, at 17 years old, was against LA, and I was playing against David Beckham, someone who was like an idol to me. So it was pretty cool to come full circle, and actually end up playing for Miami, and him being my boss.

“Him turning a $25million (£18.7m) idea into a billion-dollar company or investment, it is amazing. It's pretty amazing to see what he's done and for him to have helped the league this much.

“Having David Beckham as a manager or a boss was a lot better than him as a player. He was pretty vulgar on the field, everyone has a chip on their shoulder of course, but I was thinking ‘oh my God it’s Beckham’ and he got in my face because I fouled him. But I loved every single bit of it.

“He’s a nice guy, an amazing guy, you never hear any bad stories about him despite being in the public eye. So kudos to him and what he's done for the team.”

Exercising an option in his contract with LA to buy an expansion franchise in 2014, Beckham officially launched Miami in 2018. Under his guidance, the club have won the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 Supporters’ Shield.

Miami are looking to win their first MLS Cup when they take on Vancouver Whitecaps in Saturday’s showpiece in Florida. The match sees two of the game’s all-time greats - Miami’s Lionel Messi and Vancouver’s Thomas Muller - face each other once again, having shared several titanic tussles during their spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich respectively.

Previewing the all-important encounter, Muller - who has shone for Vancouver since joining the club in August following the expiration of his contract at Bayern - told ESPN: “I think this match is great. I know you guys and the media and also MLS, it makes sense also to make a point with Messi and with myself and the bigger names, but I think it's about two teams with a very attractive and good looking playing style. It’s the perfect final in my opinion. I appreciate being part of it.

“For me it's always nice to meet old friends [Messi and former Barcelona trio Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez, who also play for Miami]. We are not really close, but I was always watching them play and they are great players, they were great players. Some of them still are. It's always nice when you can look back to your own history to meet them again.

“Regarding the result or about the games, what was in the past is not very important for the future, but it's nice to see them.”