Kicking It Forward

Young at heart and in mind, the true legend that is David Beckham proves time and again that his global brand just gets better with age

- Shauna Jay Popple Williams

When a young girl grows up in Manchester at a time when England’s top Premier League club and its golden boy explode on the world’s stream of conscious, she can’t help but fall for the trappings of an unshakeable fandom. It stuck too, it’s true—and for good reason.

David Beckham, OBE. DB7. “Golden Balls.” There isn’t a corner of the globe that does not know who Becks is. Two decades of a football career with some of the most prestigious clubs in the world (Manchester United, Real Madrid, A C Milan, LA Galaxy, Paris Saint-Germain, as well as England’s national team, which he captained for six years), Beckham became the first English footballer to have won league titles in four countries: England, Spain, the United States, and France.

His prime may be behind him when you think of him on the pitch but the glow from his shining star certainly hasn’t faded. Perhaps making the right choices—not all, but some—has had something to do with it.

Such a key decision brought Beckham to Manila recently (his third visit to the Philippines), as AIA (American International Assurance Co Ltd) global ambassador. Last year, Asia’s largest life insurance group, launched a new brand promise: Healthier, Longer, Better Lives, a pressing call to address the prevalent rise of lifestyle-related diseases across the region.

Being the personification of what AIA stands for, there couldn’t be a better man for the job. “I want to be fit, I want to be healthy, I want to live the right lifestyle so I can continue to be a great husband, a great father—that’s my ‘why’ in life,” professed the father of four.