NEW JERSEY — The soundtrack to this World Cup is not Brazilian samba rhythms, ersatz American “soccer” chants or even the Scottish bagpipes that seemed to bewitch Bostonians last week.
No, if you are sitting through this tournament in a living room – or you are one of the wealthy or lucky few who manage to get into one of the stadiums – it is the squeak of Sir David Beckham’s Estuary accent.
Now it is not news that Beckham is a star. He was recently crowned Britain’s first billionaire athlete, with an estimated fortune of some £1.3bn. But it is truly staggering just how big his brand remains in the US – and how freely he uses it to flog stuff he surely knows nothing about.
A Stella Artois advertisement featuring Beckham in a grocery store in Miami (Photo: Getty)
You see, the man once known as “Goldenballs” is everywhere at this World Cup.
