David Beckham Starts Special Ambassador Role to China

David Beckham is known to have won a championship for every club he has played with. This time, he was tasked to be the special ambassador for football to China. He began his role with a five-day visit to China to promote the game to “young kids and aspiring footballers.”

On top of his goodwill role, the 37-year old has also recently signed up with Paris-St. Germain. He says that the two activities will not have any conflict in schedule.

State of Chinese Football Popularity

As football ambassador, the Chinese football heirarchy hopes that this will help with some house cleaning. Thirty-seven football players, referees and league officials have been  banned for life in China. The investigation on game fixing lasted three years. There were another two league officials and a referee who were earlier imprisoned for influencing the results of the game.

Beckham’s Chinese visit included training sessions with kids at schools, as well as with football clubs in Beijing, Qingdao and Wuhan.

China has a large football following, but the fans would rather watch foreign games and follow international teams and players. Local football reputation has been tarnished and it is not clear how much Beckham’s presence could help. Even though China has a population of close to 1.3 billion citizens, there are only an estimated 100,000 who play football in organized leagues. The Chinese team had also failed to qualify to the 2014 World Cup.

Being Cool and Having A Fun Visit

During one of his visits to the pitch, he slipped while trying to kick the ball. He picked himself up and everybody had a laugh. It may have looked as if he hit rock bottom on that kick, but it did break the ice for his visit. Observers however wonder why Beckham was wearing suits and dress shoes all throughout his visit.

He also proudly showed off his latest tattoo in a media event. This may have made a lot of new fans, mostly females, and may also have been a way to promote his latest collaboration with the H&M brand he recently signed up with. Not coincidentally, the photo of him showing off his abs and the tattoo of Chinese adage, has sparked a lot of photoshopping activities.