David Beckham loves to watch rugby over football, says son's decision to give up football devastated him

David Beckham loves watching rugby instead of live football. The former England football captain said the “nastiness” displayed by some football crowds had left him less interested in live matches and had even left him “uneasy” in the past. However, he felt more at ease in seeing rugby fans sitting together amicably to watch a game.

“I love rugby – I love watching it and I love the whole thing. I have enjoyed going to Twickenham more than I have enjoyed watching football,” he said. When he was younger, he had watched a match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United and felt the tension.

Despite this preference for watching rugby, Beckham was still devastated when his son Romeo recently told him that he did not want to become a footballer like him.

The 40-year-old former Manchester United player admitted that he had mixed feelings about his 13-year-old son’s decision, Express reports. Though he was sad, Beckham was relieved that Romeo was not going to pursue football as he thought that his son could be judged by his surname, Telegraph reports.

Romeo, the second child of David and Victoria, is prominent in the holidays ads of British luxury brand Burberry. Apart from the print ads, he has also been featured in the Burberry Festive Film. The 13-year-old is front and center in this year’s Burberry Christmas campaign.

Apart from Romeo, the campaign features supermodel Naomi Campbell, “Downton Abbey’s” Michelle Dockery, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Sir Elton John and many more. In fact, Romeo has been a brand ambassador of Burberry since 2013.

David is happy that both Romeo and his eldest child, Brooklyn, have other passions apart from football. He also loves the fact that Brooklyn is into photography. David has passions outside football too.

David has been an ambassador for Unicef for 10 years. He has dedicated his service to 7 Fund to improve the lives of children around the world. He recently went on a world football tour through seven continents and played matches with communities. BBC One will air a special documentary on his round-the-world tour on Dec. 29. It will also feature his eldest son, Brooklyn, who played in a charity match with his father at Old Trafford.

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