Comedians used to mock David Beckham for not being very bright.
They should laugh now that he is a multi-millionaire, has won every footballing accolade and is acknowledged as an English and British sporting ambassador around the world.
Becks isn’t thick. But it panders to the common perception that all footballers are less than a full shilling because of the things they sometimes say on the spur of the moment.
How about these gems:
Neville Southall: “If you don’t believe you can win, there is no point in getting out of bed at the end of the day.”
Mark Draper: “I’d like to play for an Italian club, like Barcelona.”
Paul Gascoigne: “I’ve had 14 bookings this season — eight of which were my fault, but seven of which were disputable.”
Jonathan Woodgate: “Leeds is a great club and it’s been my home for years, even though I live in Middlesborough.”
Stuart Pearce: “I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel.”
Johnny Giles: “I’d rather play in front of a full house than an empty crowd.”
Ian Rush: “I couldn’t settle in Italy — it was like living in a foreign country.”
Ade Akinbiyi: “I was watching the Blackburn game on TV on Sunday when it flashed on the screen that George Ndah had scored in the first minute at Birmingham. My first reaction was to ring him up. Then I remembered he was out there playing.”
And we’ll even have a couple from Becks, to prove he’s human: “My parents have always been there for me, ever since I was about seven”
And “We’re definitely going to get Brooklyn christened, but we don’t know into which religion.”
Well, haven’t you ever said anything daft?
