‘Imelda Marcos’ Beckham – and his 1,000 pairs of soccer boots
WITH her dedication to fashion, you’d expect shoes and boots to be pouring out of Victoria Beckham’s wardrobes.
But it seems her husband David also has a touch of Imelda Marcos about him. The former Philippines first lady famously amassed thousands of pairs of shoes, while Beckham has an equally impressive collection of football boots.
‘I have so many pairs – over a thousand,’ Beckham, 41, admits in an interview on Desert Island Discs, to be broadcast at 11.15am today on Radio 4. ‘I keep them in storage in boxes.’
Asked by presenter Kirsty Young if his collection of footwear rivals that of his wife, he says: ‘It does, actually.’
Appearing on the edition marking the 75th anniversary of the programme, Beckham discusses the ‘tough love’ of his father, Ted.
Beckham was only seven when his father would take him out to practise his football skills at a park near their home in Essex. He says: ‘There was a goal over there with no net and he would say, “OK, hit the crossbar”, and we would do it for hours.’
The former England captain reveals that when he won the treble in 1999 with Manchester United, his father never congratulated him.
He adds: ‘I knew my dad would always be proud of my achievements but the only time he said, “You know what, son, you have done really well”, was when I got my 100th cap for England. It makes me emotional.’
Looking back to when he began dating the then Victoria Adams of the Spice Girls, he said they would meet in a car park to keep their romance from the public eye. Beckham says: ‘We used to sit in a Harvester car park and we used to kiss, of course, and spend time together.’
Beckham did not select a Spice Girls hit to take with him on the desert island. Instead his choices include Ella Fitzgerald’s Every Time We Say Goodbye, which reminds him of his grandfather. His luxury item is one of his England caps.