00:02Please welcome David's good friend and fellow walk-of-famer Tom Cruise.
00:24Hey my friend. Testing, testing. All right, here we go.
00:30It is an honor for me to be here today to celebrate my friend David Beckham as he receives his
00:36star on Hollywood Boulevard.
00:3930 years ago this summer, one of the most iconic goals in football history took place.
00:46A young player from Manchester United facing Wimbledon looked up from just behind the midfield and saw the goalkeeper standing
00:54casually off his line.
00:57Without thinking about it, in an instant, he struck the ball with his right foot, sending it soaring 57 yards
01:04through the air, beyond the goalkeeper's reach, into the net.
01:10The ball was in the air for just three and a half seconds, but that moment has now lived for
01:15three decades in the minds of everyone who saw it and in the history of sport.
01:21And if you didn't know who he was then, you certainly did a few months later.
01:26Playing for Manchester United, David struck a free kick unlike anything most people had ever seen.
01:33He bent the ball around the defenders, over the wall, off the top post, and into the net.
01:39And this wasn't luck.
01:42It was a skill he spent thousands of hours perfecting.
01:46One that would inspire the film Bend It Like Beckham and inspire generations around the world to watch and play
01:53the game.
01:56With that skill, he would go on to become one of the greatest dead ball specialists football has ever seen.
02:04From there, the story only grew.
02:07This kid from East London, who had to earn his place on Manchester United, one of the greatest teams in
02:14football,
02:15he then redefined what was possible from his position.
02:19He won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League.
02:26He captained England and represented his country 115 times.
02:31He joined Real Madrid, won La Liga, and played alongside some of the greatest players the game has ever known.
02:41Then came Los Angeles.
02:43And what happened next changed this sport in this country.
02:48Before David ever played a match for the Galaxy, stadiums across the league began to sell out.
02:53People who had never watched football or soccer suddenly had a reason to.
03:01When David arrived, Major League Soccer had 13 teams.
03:06Today, it has 30.
03:12He won back-to-back MLS Cups with the Galaxy.
03:17Then came Inter-Miami.
03:19Not as a player this time, but as an owner.
03:23The club began to play in 2020.
03:26Three years later, Messi arrives.
03:29Now, you've got to understand, when David first came to Los Angeles,
03:33that moment would have seemed utterly impossible.
03:36There is no Messi in this league if not for David Beckham.
03:40If he doesn't decide to come here first, that's the impact we're celebrating today.
03:46Not just an extraordinary career, but a legacy that changed the trajectory of a sport.
03:52But what makes David's story truly remarkable isn't simply where he is today.
03:57It's how it began.
03:59Every chapter of his life and career was built on the same thing.
04:03Hard work and dedication.
04:06Long before the trophies, the sold-out stadiums, the global fame, the recognition,
04:12there was a young boy with a dream and the determination and discipline to earn everything that followed.
04:21That's why this feels like such a fitting place for us to celebrate him.
04:27His is a Hollywood story.
04:30A boy who believed in something bigger than himself had to work for every opportunity he received
04:36and went on to influence his sport, shape culture around the world,
04:41and create opportunities for generations who followed.
04:45And for all the records, achievements, and recognition,
04:49the thing that has impressed me most is that success has never changed who he is.
04:55The same core values that got him there are the ones he lives by today.
05:01And through much of that extraordinary journey, Victoria has been by his side.
05:11And together they have built a beautiful family.
05:15Raised incredible children.
05:18And created a life that is every bit as meaningful as the career we're celebrating today.
05:24So David, congratulations to you.
05:27You earned this, and nobody, and I mean nobody, deserves it more, my friend.
05:36You earned this, and I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I
05:41mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody,
05:42I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean
05:42nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I
05:42mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody,
05:43I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean
05:44nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I
05:45mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody, I mean nobody,
05:46I mean nobody, I mean nobody,
Comments