After two decades of elite football, including 265 appearances for Manchester United and 115 for England, David Beckham has revealed that his body is showing significant signs of “wear and tear,”. The football legend, who will turn 50 this year, pinpointed one particular area that causes him the most pain on a daily basis.
He told Men’s Health: “It’s actually my back and left hip that give me the most grief. I’ve had it X-rayed, MRI’d – it’s just wear and tear.”
Beckham confessed that some of the treatments he underwent to keep him playing may have caused long-term damage: “Unfortunately, I did have a lot of injections and I don’t think it’s a good thing.”
He remembered that during his last game for Real Madrid, he had three cortisone injections in his ankle – without them, he probably wouldn’t have been able to play at all. He said: “Certain parts of my body were a real mess.”
His most shocking injury was a broken back, reports Surrey Live.
After a game in Los Angeles, he experienced severe back pain: “I went for a scan and they couldn’t find anything wrong with it. I was insisting there was something not right there – I could feel it.”
A second examination revealed a cracked vertebra: “It was a bad one,” David recalls. Another broken bone – a wrist fracture sustained in South Africa – still bothers him today.
The screw holding his broken bones together should, by now, have dissolved but it’s still there, David says.
David isn’t fazed by the inevitable signs of ageing or his upcoming milestone birthday, remarking that he’s not troubled by it: “It’s not something that I’m worried about, as long as I’m fit and healthy and my family are healthy, that’s all I care about.”
He reveals that both he and Victoria, his wife for over a quarter of a century, exercise together – but adds that they have very distinct styles.
Describing how his hard-work wife, who has transitioned from a Spice Girl to being named among the UK Fashion industry’s most influential women, seldom slows down, David pointed out that she hardly ever stops for a breather, often cutting rest periods short during workouts.