David Beckham: Advocating for Children’s Rights

David Beckham’s conversation at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025 offers a glimpse into his inspiring journey as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and philanthropist. From his early years at Manchester United to his recent work empowering teenage girls, Beckham emphasizes the power of sport and community to drive global change. His story highlights resilience, advocacy, and using influence for good.

Empowering Change Through Sport and Advocacy

Vocabulary Highlight:

• Philanthropy (noun): The desire to promote the welfare of others, often through charitable actions.
  • Pronunciation Tip: /fɪˈlænθrəpi/
  • Example: “David Beckham’s philanthropy has impacted millions of children globally.”
• Advocacy (noun): The act of publicly supporting a cause or proposal.
  • Example: “His advocacy for children’s rights inspires communities worldwide.”

Grammar Focus: Conditional Sentences

• Example from Text: “If you empower young girls, it uplifts their communities.”
• Explanation: Conditional sentences describe a possible result based on a specific condition.
  • First Conditional: “If + present tense, will + base verb”
  • Example: “If we work together, we will achieve more.”

Simplified Explanation:
In the sentence, “If you empower young girls… it uplifts their communities,” the condition (“empower young girls”) results in a positive societal impact.

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Key Themes from David Beckham’s Conversation

1. The Power of Advocacy:
   • Definition: Advocating for children’s rights to create a brighter future.
   • Example: “Beckham emphasizes his commitment to fighting for children’s rights worldwide.”
2. Empowering Teenage Girls:
   • Definition: Providing girls with equal access to education and opportunities.
   • Example: “David’s focus on teenage girls is inspired by his daughter and global disparities.”
3. Sport as a Tool for Change:
   • Definition: Using sport to inspire and bring communities together.
   • Example: “He describes how playing football with children lights up their smiles.”
4. Legacy of Service:
   • Definition: Creating sustainable change through partnerships and initiatives.
   • Example: “The Seven Fund has impacted millions of children through focused programs.”
5. Balancing Family and Values:
   • Definition: Instilling traditional values in his children while leading by example.
   • Example: “David shares how he teaches his children respect and old traditions, like standing when a lady leaves the table.”

David Beckham’s journey demonstrates how advocacy, sport, and community can create lasting change while inspiring others to take action.

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Key Lessons and Vocabulary

Vocabulary Highlight:

• Resilience (noun): The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties.
  • Pronunciation Tip: /rɪˈzɪliəns/
  • Example: “Beckham’s resilience is evident in his work for UNICEF and global causes.”
• Legacy (noun): Something handed down or impactful that lasts beyond one’s lifetime.
  • Example: “His legacy as a footballer and philanthropist inspires future generations.”

Sentence Structure: Using Subordinate Clauses

• Example from Text: “When I first visited Sierra Leone, I saw firsthand the challenges children face.”
• Explanation: Subordinate clauses provide additional context to the main idea.
  • Structure: subordinate conjunction + subject + verb
  • Example: “Although he is retired, Beckham remains active in philanthropy.”

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Reflecting on David Beckham’s Legacy

Vocabulary Highlight:

• Advocacy (noun): Publicly supporting a cause to create change.
  • Pronunciation Tip: /ˈædvəkəsi/
  • Example: “Advocacy is central to Beckham’s work with UNICEF.”

Pronunciation Tips:

• Philanthropy: /fɪˈlænθrəpi/
• Resilience: /rɪˈzɪliəns/
• Advocacy: /ˈædvəkəsi/

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Conclusion

David Beckham’s conversation at the World Economic Forum is a powerful reminder of the transformative impact of advocacy, sport, and community. From empowering young girls to addressing global challenges, Beckham’s work inspires others to use their platforms for good. His commitment to service and values leaves a legacy of hope for future generations.

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Learning Tips:

• Practice New Vocabulary: Write sentences using the highlighted words from the text.
• Grammar Exercises: Create conditional sentences based on Beckham’s speech.
• Pronunciation Practice: Use the pronunciation tips to improve fluency.
• Reflect on Themes: Summarize Beckham’s key messages in your own words.

By learning from David Beckham’s journey, you can expand your English skills while gaining insights into advocacy, resilience, and the power of sport in creating a better world.

Host: I first met David with his business partner and best friend Jamie Salter, who is here at Authentic Brands. And we’ll talk about David Beckham, the businessman, David Beckham, the family man, but we’re here really to talk about David Beckham, the philanthropist. And you’ve really showed us that through the power of sport, you can do good. This UNICEF relationship goes back a long time. How did you get involved with them?

David Beckham: Well, it does. Firstly, good morning, everyone. I know it’s an early morning, and I’m sure a few of you had a late night last night. So thank you for at least being here. I’ll do my best to keep you all awake.

But my relationship with UNICEF is the most important work that I do. It’s the work that I enjoy most, even though I enjoy all of my work that I do. I never consider it work because it’s something that inspires me every single trip that I go on, every child that I meet.

But it started a long time ago when I was actually 17 years old with Manchester United. I was on tour in Thailand, and I was asked to go to a women’s center to see the work that UNICEF do. And it was incredible. And I knew then, even at 17 years old, this is what I want to do. This is what I want to be part of.

So when I got the call from Kofi Annan to be a Goodwill Ambassador, it was quite an emotional moment because for myself as a footballer from the East End of London, to be able to be part of an organization like UNICEF that was helping and is helping and always helps young children around the world, you know, I was very privileged with that. So it’s been longstanding. I’ve seen and met some incredible children over that time. But, you know, the issues and situations continue every single day. And I will continue to fight for children’s rights until I can fight no more.

Host: Well, I think we saw in the video, you don’t just talk the talk, you walk the walk, you travel, you get out there. What are some of the most memorable experiences for you?

David Beckham: You know, every trip that I go on is a memorable experience. Good, bad, every child that I meet has a different situation and a different worry and different dreams and different hopes.

You know, the first time that I sat down with UNICEF, I said, “Okay, take me to a place that is the worst and needs the biggest help.” And the first trip that we went on was Sierra Leone. And it was just after the conflict and that was a long time ago. And I met some incredible children.

And I always tell the story that whenever I meet these children, you know, obviously I’m very lucky to have four amazing children. These children are in completely different situations to what my children are and to other children around Europe that I’ve met and around the world that I’ve met, but they have the same smile. They have the same smiles. Whatever situations they’re in, their smiles are the same with these kids.

So there’s so many different situations that I’ve been in, that I’ve seen. You know, I’ve visited so many different places. Like I said, Thailand, Nepal, China, and recently India, which India really opened my eyes because these young people were championing for change. And I went to this women’s center that these girls were incredible, talented, driven, and it was inspiring.

Host: What about the Seven Fund? How did that come to be? What is that?

David Beckham: Well, we came up with the Seven Fund because, you know, over my time with UNICEF, we’ve seen an incredible amount of change. And I’ve seen personally, you know, there were certain things that we had to really focus on. You know, education, you know, forced early child marriage, immunization. So all of these things that we really needed to focus on, and that’s why we set up the Seven Fund.

So we’ve been able to help millions of children over that time. It’s something that we’ve been very proud of. But during that time, I also noticed how girls were getting left behind. And that is one thing, obviously having a daughter myself and seeing how girls get left behind and they don’t have, you know, equal access to education and to healthcare, and they are forced into early marriage, which then takes them out of their education.

So I wanted to focus the next few years on that, and that’s what I’m focusing, you know, on this year, teenage girls, empowering them, you know, to live to their full potential. They should have the right and the same access as the boys do. You know, I’m not saying that I’m stepping away from helping the boys, but my main focus is the girls, because when you empower a young girl, you know, it uplifts them, it uplifts their family, it uplifts their communities, and that’s good for everybody. That’s good for the world. And that’s one thing that we’re focused on.

Host: So how much time, you’ve got a lot going on. So how much time do you spend with UNICEF on the trips and making sure that these funds go to the right places?

David Beckham: You know, it’s a daily thing, in all honesty. You know, within the office, it’s a daily thing. We’re always communicating with UNICEF. We’re always communicating with the team that we have. I also always try to do at least one, two trips a year, and they’re always major trips, and they’re always shining a light.

And I think that’s one thing that I can do, you know, is shine a light on these situations. And that’s one thing that my platform gives. You know, throughout my career, I’ve been successful on the field, I’ve been successful with business, but what gives me the platform to help organizations like UNICEF is the fact that I’ve been successful on the field, and that’s what I want to do with the platform that I have.

Host: They probably go nuts when you come visit.

David Beckham: And that’s the amazing thing. You know, I step into these communities and these villages that don’t have TV, that don’t have radio, and you walk out onto, you know, a soccer field, a football field, with a ball, and these kids light up, you know, whether they know me or not. And most of the time, they do know me purely because…

Host: Cause everybody knows you?

David Beckham: Well, not just that. But, you know, whether it’s they’ve heard the name Beckham on the radio, you know, or whether they’ve seen their father wearing an old Manchester United shirt or an old England shirt, you know, it is great to have that, and it is great to be able to use that for good.

Host: Speaking of using it for good, you also participate in the King’s Fund. Is that something more recent? What’s your relationship there?

David Beckham: I always get emotional talking about anything that I do with our royal family. Because I’ve always been a huge royalist. I was brought up in a family, in a household, that adored and loved everything that came with the royal family.

So, you know, over the years, I’ve done a lot with the Prince of Wales, and I’ve always been there. Whenever he’s asked me to get involved with things, you know, whether it be veterans, whether it be the London Air Ambulance Service, which we raised funds to get two new helicopters for London.

You know, these are the things that, when I was a kid, I used to see the helicopters going over, and you knew exactly what they were going to do. They were on the way to an emergency. So to be involved in that has always been a yes for me.

You know, whenever the Prince of Wales sends me a message and says, “I need you to do this or be there,” it’s always a yes. So when the King asked me to be part of his foundation, I was very honored, very privileged. I rang my mum straight away and said, “You’re not going to believe what I’ve just been asked to do.”

Host: What did she say?

David Beckham: My mum always just bursts into tears, in all honesty, because she’s so proud of, obviously, what I’ve done throughout my career, but she’s also proud. And she knows my grandparents would have been proud that I’ve played such an important role within the royal family and the charities that they have.

So to be involved in the King’s foundation, you know, our King is an incredible man. He’s an incredible man, but he’s not just been an incredible man for the last five, 10 years. He’s been an incredible man for decades. You know, the work that he has done to empower young people, you know, the grassroots work, you know, all of that, all of those, you know, sustainable work, all of these things, all of those lost arts that are lost, and he’s trying to bring them back.

You know, I visited recently, I visited him, and there’s a couple of great pictures that I’ve had of me laughing with him and, you know.

Host: Best friends.

David Beckham: Best friends, apparently. But, you know, we have very similar interests.

Host: Yes, is he really into beekeeping too?

David Beckham: Beekeeping, yeah, who knew?

Host: Is that a very popular thing to be into in the UK?

David Beckham: Well, I didn’t think it would be, but apparently it is. So he’s into bees, I’m into bees. He’s into the countryside, I’m into the countryside. So, and he’s into empowering young people. So, yeah, so I’m very honored with that role.

Host: They don’t really go into the philanthropic part in “The Crown,” so I think many people don’t know.

David Beckham: Yeah, yeah.

Host: It’s a big part of the monarchy.

David Beckham: I think, you know, we’ve all, we all watched “The Crown.” We all learned a lot from “The Crown.” You know…

Host: Is it accurate?

David Beckham: I wouldn’t know.

Host: You know the monarchy.

David Beckham: Yeah.

Host: Anyway, so what’s next on the philanthropic front? I mean, it sounds like you have your hands full on UNICEF, the King’s Foundation. Is there anything else you’d like to do to make a difference?

David Beckham: To be honest, we wanna just continue to empower young people. I think, you know, it’s a silly thing to say and an obvious thing to say, but they are our future. And we need to continue to empower, you know, especially young girls to live to their full potential. And when you give children the tools, when you give them the opportunities, they respond.

Host: What about empowering your young people? You’re a family guy, four kids, they’re all very famous. They didn’t grow up the way you grew up.

David Beckham: No.

Host: And they didn’t grow up certainly, as you mentioned, the way some of these kids around the world. So how do you instill the kind of values that you’re talking about in your kids?

David Beckham: I think by giving them the values that we had growing up. You know, mine and Victoria’s children have grown up totally different to how we grew up, but we instilled from a very young age, the right values.

You know, my sons, you’ll never see my sons walk into a room and not let a lady go through the door first or shake people’s hand. You know, whether you think your children are watching or listening, they are most of the time.

And luckily for me, you know, my children have noticed, you know, when my wife leaves the table, I stand up. It’s old traditions like that, that I have tried to pass on to my children. And thankfully, you know, they’ve turned out great.

And me and Victoria are very proud of our children, you know, not because they have their own dreams and ambitions and they’re working and they’re doing exactly what they want to do, but more because of the values that they have. And let’s hope they continue.

Host: You stand up every time she leaves the table?

David Beckham: Yeah.

Host: I can’t even, I can’t imagine my husband doing that.

David Beckham: I do get strange looks at times from people. They’re like, why are you standing?

Host: That’s old school.

David Beckham: It is old school, but you know what? It’s how I was brought up. And I’ve tried to pass it on to my kids and my kids do it, they don’t always do it, but they know that’s what dad does, so.

Host: We watched in the Netflix movie and learned a lot about you. I think you really opened up and your relationship and your marriage. And I know Victoria is doing a Netflix movie of her own.

David Beckham: She is.

Host: Why did you decide now is the time to let people in?

David Beckham: Well, it took me actually 10 years to do my documentary because I never really felt that I was ready to look back at my career at that point when I finished, when I retired. I believe that there was more I wanted to do. So it took me a while to agree to it.

And then it came around to the 10 year anniversary of me retiring, I thought maybe this is the right time to do it, so then we looked for the right director. We found Fisher Stevens, then we looked to have the right partner with Netflix.

And then it was all about Fisher making me as uncomfortable as possible to deliver what he delivered. And he did that, every time I sat down with him, I felt uncomfortable, I didn’t wanna be there, I didn’t really wanna talk about things because I’d never talked about those things before.

You know, I’d put them away in a box, I’d locked it up and thought, I’m never gonna have to talk about it, but it was good for me. You know, I hold a lot of things in and it was good for me to actually sit down and talk about these things.

So we, you know, I said to Victoria, I’m only gonna do this once and I’m gonna do it right. And it turned out great, you know, to know that it was so popular around the world and people got to learn a different thing about me. You know, that made me very proud of the show that we made.

So then leading on to Victoria’s, that actually it was quite hard to get her to agree to it. And I was the only one that was gonna make that happen.

Host: Why, she didn’t wanna do it?

David Beckham: Well, I, no, she didn’t. Well, purely because, you know, I wanted to do it and showcase what she’s all about. You know, people see her as the designer, the creator of obviously a beauty brand, the mother, the wife, the spice girl.

Host: I was gonna say posh first and foremost.

David Beckham: But I wanted to highlight how hard she works. You know, this is a woman, I’ve never met a harder working woman apart from you. I’ve never met a harder working woman than my wife. And I wanted to show that.

I wanted to show everything that goes into her design, everything that goes into her brand, what she does outside it, all the decisions that she makes. And that’s the only way of doing it. So again, we’re doing it with Netflix, we’re doing it with our production company. And so far, I think it’s going great.

And it’s just gonna highlight how hard she works and the things that she does. And I think people are gonna be quite surprised how she juggles things because, you know, she’s a multitasker and that’s one thing that I don’t think I am.

Host: How did your kids react to the documentary?

David Beckham: Well, they, well… none of us had seen it until the premiere. So I made that conscious decision to give that power to Fisher Stevens, the director, and Netflix and my team. You know, my team had seen clips, but, you know, the edit, I wanted them to have full control ’cause I think that that was important and it came out in it.

So we sat there at the premiere and I could see one of my sons getting quite emotional, Brooklyn, because he lived through that whole time. You know, he’s 25 years old, so he’d lived through every moment of my career and, you know, mine and Victoria’s relationship.

Then you had Romeo that was 19 years old, no, that was 20 years old at the time. And I could see him and he said, “Dad, your mum worked really hard to get where you are.” Then Cruz, my youngest boy, turned around to me and he said, “Dad, you were really good at football.” That was his reaction.

Host: That was new to him?

David Beckham: Dad used to do that. And Harper was just, I mean, Harper sat there and she was probably the one, as well as Brooklyn, that I was probably most worried about watching it because he’d lived through the whole thing and, you know, there’s some moments where you see him crying in the car ’cause of the amount of people around the car and the paparazzi.

So I was worried on that side for him, but then I was also worried for Harper because it’s the first time that she’d seen all of that. So, you know, but they loved it. And the moment at the end where people all talk about, you know, the moment where mum and dad are dancing in the tent and embarrassing them, you know, that was a moment where I looked back and it just naturally happened.

Host: That dancing is like, went viral.

David Beckham: It went viral, I know. And it was, do you know, that was one of the most rewarding moments for me, seeing, you know, people in their kitchens doing the same, you know, seeing them do it with their children or their parents or their animals. You know, all of those things happen through that moment.

And, you know, and that was just a natural moment that actually happens most weekends. You know, mum and dad always embarrass the kids at the end of the night.

Host: You guys dance most weekends?

David Beckham: Yeah, yeah, you know, after a couple of drinks.

Host: Couple goals.

David Beckham: Couple of drinks.

Host: After a couple of drinks. I think what resonated with people is how authentic you were and how much you opened up. And speaking of, I do want to talk about David Beckham, the businessman, because you’ve been very successful. I mentioned the partnership with Authentic Brands. So they own a majority of your brands, all the deals you do, the endorsements and the business. How’s that going?

David Beckham: You know, it’s going incredibly well. You know, I’m very lucky to have the business that I’ve had, but I think I recognized very early on in my career that I wanted to have a business outside of my career when I finish.

So I built the business up to a certain point to do that. And when I built the business up to a certain point, I knew that then I wanted to scale it. But I knew I wanted to scale it with the right people.

I didn’t just want to hand, you know, a certain amount of my brand over to someone to let them do whatever they wanted with it. So, you know, I’ve known Jamie Salter for over a decade and I know his values. I know his family values. I know him as a businessman. I know how hard he works.

And I knew that when I met Jamie, at that point, it wasn’t the right time to go into business. I didn’t feel my business was in the right position to actually, you know, take it to another level. I knew that I had to build it a bit more over the time.

But I also watched what Jamie was doing with Authentic over the last 10 years. You know, he’s built this incredibly successful brand for 15 years now. And I knew eventually that was the man that I wanted to be in partnership with and business with.

So, you know, over that time, you know, I was watching what Jamie was doing. I was watching how hard he was working and the scale he was going to. And then when it came to the point where I was like, okay, I’m ready to scale my business, I’m ready to take it to the next level, me and Jamie had a conversation and that conversation probably lasted five minutes.

And we knew that we wanted to be in business together. You know, I know Jamie as the businessman, but, and I love him as the businessman, but what I love him is for his values. What I love him for is his family values. All four of his boys were in the business. All four boys have the values that he has. His wife runs the show, of course.

Host: As she should.

David Beckham: As she should. But Jamie is an incredible partner to be in business with. And like I said, you know, I wanted to take my business to the next level. And, you know, the scale that he has done to Authentic is what I wanted to do with my business.

And that’s, you know, being a shareholder of Authentic and being a partner with Jamie, you know, it’s something that I’m very excited about the future.

Host: It’s been a good place to be. One of your best business decisions, certainly to Americans has been Inter Miami. You have an ownership stake and you somehow convinced Messi to come play in the United States.

David Beckham: Yeah.

Host: What was the vision or the inspiration behind all that?

David Beckham: I always wanted to give back to the game. You know, my dream was always to give back to football, to soccer. And, you know, punditry or management was something that I never saw myself going into.

You know, my dream was always to own a team. I always wanted to own a team. So when I moved to America, you know, I had the opportunity to put in one of my contracts or the contract that at the end of my time there, I could own a franchise and I could pick the city where it was gonna be.

And I knew from day one that I wanted Miami. I knew that that was the place where I wanted to be. And a lot of people said to me, it’s a tough sporting city. Do you really wanna go there? And I was like, it’s exactly where I wanna be.

Host: Why?

David Beckham: Because it was a challenge. And I would say it’s been the hardest challenge actually in my career and in my business, but the most rewarding.

It’s the most rewarding for many reasons, you know, to see the team grow, to see the franchise grow, to see the club grow and to see what we have now. You know, we’re building a new parcel. We have a new parcel of land, 32 acre parcel of land in Miami where we’re building the new stadium, which Miami Freedom Park, which we’re very excited about.

There’ll be retail space, there’ll be parks there. And obviously the stadium will be there. So we’re very excited about that.

But you know, when I moved to America, yes, I wanted to lift the game. Yes, I wanted to be part of, you know, making soccer as popular as it is everywhere else around the world. But I wanted to win.

I wanted to win on the field, first off. You know, I had a six year contract there and yes, I wanted to build the game. But more importantly to me, I wanted to win championships. And luckily in the end, I won two championships in America.

But now being the owner of a club that has the greatest player to have ever played the game, you know, that’s down to people’s opinion. But in my opinion, he’s the greatest person to have played the game.

Host: It’s not that controversial.

David Beckham: Not anymore. So…

Host: You think MLS can be as popular as Europe?

David Beckham: I do. I’ve always believed in the potential. You know, America is America, simple as that. It’s a powerful country. It’s one of the biggest and greatest opportunities of countries and you believe that.

When I moved to America, it’s a land of opportunity. I knew that I wanted to live in America at one point and create a business. And to create a business that we’ve done and I now sit back in my chair in Miami, in that stadium, and Leo walks onto that pitch and I’m like, I’m quite proud of that.

Host: David, who inspires you?

David Beckham: My children, my wife. Children that I’ve met throughout the world. That I’ve worked with, that I’ve helped, that UNICEF have helped. You know, every time that I go on one of these trips, every time that I do something for UNICEF, that inspires me.

But it’s my children and it’s my wife that motivates me. Simple as that. You know, like I said, my wife is hardworking. But the reason I continue to work as hard as I do is for my children. And I’m not talking about for their futures, but I want to set the right example.

You know, when I retired 12, 13 years ago now from playing, I could have just sat back and enjoyed the moment. But when I grew up at Manchester United, you know, I had one of the biggest and best business leaders inspire me and teach me, Sir Alex Ferguson.

And every time that we do something in business, every time that we have some success, yeah, of course we enjoy it, we celebrate it. But the next moment we’re onto the next thing. And that was exactly what Sir Alex Ferguson taught me.

He taught us, when we won the Treble in 1999, we broke all records, it had never been done before. We won the Champions League, we won the FA Cup and we won the Premier League. It had never been done before. The next morning, the boss said, “Okay, I’m glad you enjoyed that last night. But today we go again. And next year we do the same.”

And that’s what I always had installed into me.

Host: Well, David, thank you very much for giving all of us a snapshot into how you think and how you operate. It really was a treat, so thank you.

David Beckham: Thank you, thank you very much.