David Beckham - Former British Footballer

 MARVIN CHOW: Ladies and gentlemen, ladiesand gentlemen, please welcome Mr. David Beckham. MARVIN CHOW: Nice to see you, Sir. How are you? Wave. DAVID BECKHAM: Morning. MARVIN CHOW: Have a seat. Have a seat. Welcome. Welcome to Google. So let's kick off, no pun intended, with alittle soccer. Or, for our international friends, football. You know, you David, you really have had aglobal soccer career. I mean, you joined Manchester United at theyoung age of 17. You won 9 major trophies in 11 years there. Very impressive. You then joined Real Madrid where you wonanother trophy, and then since 2007, you've been here in the U.S. playing for the LA Galaxy,where last year you won yet another trophy. And I think that puts you in a very rare groupof trifecta winners of three trophies on three different countries. So congratulations. DAVID BECKHAM: Thank you very much. MARVIN CHOW: And then obviously, while preparingto meet you last night, I read even more news last night. The big news that you've decided to stay herein the U.S. and continue to play for the U.S., the LA Galaxy. Congratulations. And I think we're excited that you chose Googleas a place to come talk to your fans and the rest of the world about that news. So why don't we start there? Why don't you tell us a little bit about thatdecision to stay with the Galaxy. DAVID BECKHAM: Well, good morning, first ofall. I'm excited to be here. To be part of this is exciting for me, andto be here with you all and everyone else watching around the world, it's exciting. Google's one of the biggest companies in theworld. So I'm honored to be here today. My decision, obviously, throughout my careerhas always been about my family, about my career, about my footballing career. And I've been lucky to have played over theyears with some of the biggest clubs in the world, some of the best players in the world. And it's been exciting. I've been lucky enough to have been successfulin many different clubs that I've played for. And professionally, coming to the U.S. wassomething that I was excited about. It was a challenge. It was a new challenge. I played in Europe. I'd won everything that I possibly could inEurope, and I wanted a new challenge. MARVIN CHOW: When you conquer Europe, it'sdefinitely the next-- DAVID BECKHAM: Like I said, I was very luckyin my career. MARVIN CHOW: You are. DAVID BECKHAM: So then, obviously, comingto America was an exciting thing for me, and I've had a great five years. I met a lot of good people, a lot of greatfans around the world, traveled around America, played in different parts of America, whichI'd never played in before, and it's been exciting. So this championship at the end of this yearwas one of the most satisfying in my career, I must admit. To have been here for the time that I've beenhere, to reach the goals that I'd reached off the field, with raising the popularityof the game. I'd reached those goals. The only goal that I hadn't reached was achampionship with the Galaxy, which is the main reason why I came to America and cameto the Galaxy as a franchise. So that was missing, but now it's not. MARVIN CHOW: Congratulations. DAVID BECKHAM: But obviously, with the newcontract now, it was a decision that I didn't take lightly because I obviously had otheroffers from other clubs around the world. And at 36 years old you don't expect to stillget these offers. So that was nice. But it was all about where I felt the futurewas going for the game here in the U.S., and also where my family was happiest. And my family is happiest here at the moment. We love living in LA. We love living in America. We've adapted the culture, we've adapted everythingthat this country has, and we enjoy that. So I'm going to continue to enjoy playingsoccer here, and my family will continue to enjoy it. MARVIN CHOW: Well, speaking of, kind of awayfrom the Galaxy-- I saw when you came in 2007, you made a very public statement that youwanted to help grow the game of soccer in the U.S. Can you talk a little bit about how that'sgoing and some areas around growing the game here? DAVID BECKHAM: Well that's the thing. It's one of the reasons why I came to thiscountry. It's because, for me, soccer is the numberone sport around the world apart from America. Don't get me wrong, the other sports, Americanfootball, basketball, baseball, they're all great sports and have great athletes in thesesports. But the number one game in the world is soccer. So I want to get soccer to a different levelin this country. And I think that we've done that in the last--I've felt it change in the last couple of years. And that's why I didn't want to walk awayfrom it because I felt the change. And to walk away at this point would be disappointingbecause I've been part of that growth, and I want to continue to be part of that growth. So it's an exciting time. And it's great for the family as well, greatfor the family to be here. MARVIN CHOW: Well, speaking of the family,I think we've all read how important family is to you. So what role did Victoria and the kids havein decision, in making this decision? DAVID BECKHAM: I mean, they have the finalanswer. It's as simple as that. That sounded wrong. No, obviously, when you're married, when youhave children, your priorities totally change. 10 years ago, when I was playing at ManchesterUnited, at Real Madrid-- obviously, we were married, but it was a lot easier for us tomake decisions based on our careers. Whereas, we've got three amazing boys nowand a little girl that we have to look after, and it's all about them. So our priorities are about our children. But like I said, in the question before, thegrowth of the game is growing. And to see when I first arrived there'd be12 teams in the league, now there's 19. There are stadiums being built around Americasolely for soccer, which is a big thing. And that's the exiting part of why and oneof the reasons why I wanted to stay. MARVIN CHOW: Yeah, well I think the impactof your presence on the game has been very clear over the last five years. I think one of the other questions that I'msure is on a lot of people's minds with this decision is really, why come to Google totell the world and talk to your fans? DAVID BECKHAM: Why not? Why not? MARVIN CHOW: So simple. DAVID BECKHAM: Like I said, it's one of thebiggest companies in the world, and it reaches so many millions of people. And I felt that it's something that you alwayssee when you open your computer. MARVIN CHOW: We like that. DAVID BECKHAM: And something I was reallyexcited about. So like I said, I'm honored to be here witheveryone, and thanks for coming out because there's a lot of you. Thank you. MARVIN CHOW: So in getting ready for thisvisit we saw that you posted a video callout for questions on YouTube, which is fantastic. And I'd say from that video we've collectedtons of questions. We've gone through them and we've curatedthem, and obviously we'll go through some of those today. I think, just also so you know, your Googlefollowing is also very strong. Obviously, you can see the people here inCharlie's, but in addition to this group there are about 26 other offices from around theworld dialed in to watch this and ask you questions as well. And I think, if it weren't so late in someof the other parts of the world, we'd have even more than that. So congratulations on building a followinghere at Google as well. So let's dig in to some of the questions rightaway. We'll start with football. Tou Moo Yee from California wants to know,what is the biggest difference between playing football in America versus Europe? DAVID BECKHAM: I mean, there's not a hugeamount of difference. One of the biggest differences I'd say isjust the travel. It's literally the travel. In Europe we only have to travel about anhour to a game, or two hours at the most. Whereas, when we play East Coast and we'replaying in New York, it's a 5, 5 and 1/2 hour journey. So that's a big difference but on the field,the level of play has definitely gone up in the last three or four years. And I think that it's at a stage now wherethis game is starting to attract the interest of some big names and big players in Europe. And I think there has to be a certain changewith some of the things that goes on throughout the league. But I think it's a league now, where Europeanteams, big European teams, are coming over for their pre-seasons and they're playingagainst us. So five years ago, the Galaxy had been heardof but I think now, with the interest of the players that have come over, such as RobbieKeane and obviously London Donovan as a U.S. star, we've had that interest and it's excitingto be part of. MARVIN CHOW: Yeah, I think it must great tosee the growth, see the change year over year, and the speed and the power of the players. DAVID BECKHAM: I think that's what you alwayswant. You want to see something grow. If you sit still so long-- you know this betterthan anyone with Google-- if you sit there too long then things change around you. And to see the growth, to see the change,I'm proud to be part of that. MARVIN CHOW: That's great. Another question. Mahin Zarra asks, what is the first thingyou do, think, or notice when you step onto the field initially? DAVID BECKHAM: I think just the excitement. I'm still-- I'm 36 years old, and every timeI step on the field I'm like a little kid. And I know once that changes then that's whenI'll feel I'll have to stop playing. But until that changes, I'm going to continueto play as long as possible and as long as teams keep offering me new contracts. MARVIN CHOW: But it seems like that love ofthe game, that childhood joy of just playing the game, is what drives you. DAVID BECKHAM: I've always been driven. Even at a young age, all I ever wanted todo was become a footballer or soccer star. And that was my only ambition. I know it's different these days with kids. There's obviously this fame, this fortune. And it might be easy for me to say that because,obviously, I've done very well at the game, but I'd still be playing this game even ifI wasn't being paid for it. Not that I don't want to be paid for it, butI still would be playing this sport. MARVIN CHOW: Very good. Very good. Another question. Christina Greenwood asks, do you ever listento music before a soccer game to kind of get yourself pumped up? DAVID BECKHAM: Always. MARVIN CHOW: Always? The Spice Girls? DAVID BECKHAM: Spice Girls, of course. I mean, one of them always gets me going beforea game. MARVIN CHOW: Everybody. I think, who doesn't? DAVID BECKHAM: Always. Yeah, so no, Spice Girls is not on the playlist. It's on my iPod but it's not on the playlist. That's for a different time with the kids. But no, I always listen to music. I'm a huge Jay-Z fan. MARVIN CHOW: Excellent. DAVID BECKHAM: Huge Stone Roses fan, as well,who are getting back together in June. Just plugging them. And no, at different clubs it's strange. Before games we always listen to music, butthere are certain managers at certain clubs that don't like music before a game in thechange room which, in the end, most players end up listening with their headsets. MARVIN CHOW: That's good. Min Koh wants you to give up the secret. How do you train for the perfect Beckham kick? We've seen it. How does it happen? DAVID BECKHAM: I mean, it's just that peoplehave asked me that over the years. How do I curl the ball? Or how do I bend the ball? And it's something that just happened. It's not something that I thought, OK, I wantto bend the ball better than anyone else so I'm going to kick the ball in this certainway. I just worked on my striking of the ball. I just practiced every day. It's something that I've done from a veryyoung age. Even after every training session, I'd takeballs on my own and just go and kick and try and find new ways of getting the ball in thenet without anyone touching it. I've been lucky enough to have done that overthe years with the way I kick the ball, and I know that it's a unique style. And I know it's a unique style just becausemy back hurts a little bit more than it did when I was 15 years old. But it's something that I practice, of course. That's one thing I tell kids. Unless you practice you're never going toget better at something. MARVIN CHOW: Well I think there's not a goalkeeper in the world who is not terrified when you line up for that free kick. So whatever you're doing, keep doing it. DAVID BECKHAM: I'll try. MARVIN CHOW: And so we have a couple questionslive from London, actually, from our office in London, which we wanted to have your homelandpeople-- DAVID BECKHAM: Good evening. MARVIN CHOW: --ask you. Why don't you go ahead? MALE SPEAKER: Hi David. DAVID BECKHAM: How you doing? MALE SPEAKER: My question is, who's more likelyto win a World Cup in the future, England or the USA? DAVID BECKHAM: Oh my God. That's a terrible question to ask me whileI'm set here. I'm going to have to say England. I'm really sorry. I'm sorry. I've got a lot of respect for the U.S. playersand the U.S. team, and they've got some very talented players. But I believe, at some point, England aregoing to win a World Cup. Because we have got a lot of talented playersin our country, and we're very passionate, and it's where the game began. So for me, definitely, I think England aregoing to win a World Cup at some point. MARVIN CHOW: America's just pacing themselves. DAVID BECKHAM: The U.S. is a few years behindus, but a few years after. MARVIN CHOW: Exactly. JT? JT: Hi David. This is JT over in London. DAVID BECKHAM: Morning, afternoon, eveningwhatever it is. JT: Morning. Well yeah, evening here. So I've seen you play a couple of times. One of them was a tsunami charity game youplayed in Barcelona with loads of superstars. And I just wanted to know who was the greatestplayer you played with or against? DAVID BECKHAM: OK. Again, I've been lucky enough over the yearsto have played with some of the best players in the world. Obviously, being at Manchester United, beingat Real Madrid, being at AC Milan, these are three of the biggest clubs in the world. So, obviously, there's some great playersthere. Being able to play with Eric Cantona, I think,that was a great thing. He's a Manchester United player. Being able to play with a player, Bryan Robson,that was my hero and I wanted to emulate. But I think the best player I've ever playedwith is Zidane. He's a player with a lot of passion, a lotof skill, and he's not just an amazing player, he's a great person as well. The hardest player to have played againstwas Roberto Carlos, who's now actually one of my best friends. But even when I didn't know him as well asI do now, he used to kick the hell out of me, the whole game. But he had this cheeky smile which-- you couldn'thate him in any way possible. But he's definitely the most, the toughest,player I've played against. MARVIN CHOW: Claudine. CLAUDINE: Hey David. So my question is, if LA Galaxy were to playin the English premiere league, how would they stack up against the competition? DAVID BECKHAM: We'd win it. [UNINTELLIGIBLE] was that. I think the Galaxy have been great in thelast two years. We've been really successful with, obviously,being close to winning the championship over the last few years. But then, obviously this year winning thechampionship, we've got a lot of good young players coming through. Players that teams in Europe are interestedin. So I think we'd do well in the premiership. It'd be interesting. MARVIN CHOW: I think you never know. That's the beauty of the game. I mean, I think, you work hard, you trainhard. DAVID BECKHAM: I mean, that's what soccer'sall about. It's all about upsets. It's all about teams that you don't thinkare as good as other teams going in and beating them. That's what the FA Cup is all about in England. Lower league teams go in and they beat someof the best premiership teams in England. So that's what it's all about. But I think we'd do well over there. MARVIN CHOW: That's good. Maybe one day. DAVID BECKHAM: It's might be a bit cold fora few players in December but we'd do well. MARVIN CHOW: That's great. JT mentioned the charity game that you played,and I think we've seen you do a lot of philanthropic work throughout your career. I think we touched on it in the UNICEF workin the highlight video, and recently we saw that you were in Afghanistan visiting sometroops there. Can you tell us a little bit about what thattrip was and what you did there? DAVID BECKHAM: I mean, I know it sounds kindof a cliche, but charities are one of my biggest passions. I've been lucky enough to be involved withUNICEF as an ambassador, and that's something that I'm very proud of. But I want to do more. Obviously, with my job, with my travel it'svery difficult to go into the field and to do different things, but I've been able togo to places like Sierra Leone. And going places like that, and seeing thechange that UNICEF are making to so many people around the world, that's one of my biggestpassions. That's why when people say to me, after mycareer am I going to go into coaching? I need to be passionate about something thatI'm going to go into. And coaching, I love coaching kids, but I'dprefer to go into the field and see the kids in Sierra Leone or in different parts of Africaand around the world and coach them because it's making a huge difference. Going to Afghanistan was something that I'dalways wanted to do to see the troops, of course. When I ruptured my Achilles two years ago,I had some time off, obviously. And I thought OK, I need to put that to dosomething good, and I had the chance to go to Afghanistan. It was a secret at the time but then, obviously,by the time I got there it was out. But it was a huge thing. The job the troops do over there in Afghanistanis really incredible to see. The conditions that they work under, they'reputting their lives at risk every single day. And it must be gut-wrenching for their familiesto see their loved ones, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters. It's so many different levels that it's difficult. To go to Afghanistan was one of the best thingsI've done in my life. MARVIN CHOW: Well I think it must be. I mean, with your work with UNICEF since 2005,it must be amazing to see, you as an international football star, how the game can bring suchjoy or change people's lives in these kids all around the world. DAVID BECKHAM: That's what's great about soccer. I've said it so many times, that when I wasin Sierra Leone, these kids are walking about with literally no clothes on. But you arrive, you put a soccer ball in frontof them, they play like my kids play. And that's what soccer can do for you anddo for kids and do for families. For that 90 minutes, you're driving alongthe street and like I said, there's kids with no clothes on and running around with no shoeson. And then you look over and then kids are watchingpremiership games on the side of the street. It can change people's lives. It can, for that 90 minutes of a game, ittakes them away from the life they've got every single day. And that is the power of soccer. It's the power of sports. It's something that's one of the reasons whyI love being involved in sports. MARVIN CHOW: It is amazing. So moving on a little bit, as we looked throughall the questions that we got coming to you, I think unsurprisingly, there were a lot ofquestions from people who are curious about your personal life. I think, when you marry a Spice Girl, I guessthat happens. DAVID BECKHAM: Yes, it does. MARVIN CHOW: But I think, before we get toall of those, one of the more overarching questions that everyone had and everyone wantsto know, what was it like to be at the wedding of the decade? The royal wedding last April, what was itlike to be there? DAVID BECKHAM: I mean, we had to pinch ourselveswhen we got the invite. I've become friends with Prince William andhe's a great guy. And obviously, Harry as well. And I was brought up around the royal familyto love the royal family. My grandparents were big royalists. And so we were brought up to love the royalfamily. And I think when, obviously, Princess Di wasaround, the love for her and for the royal family was incredible. And she was loved by millions and millionsof people, not just in our country. And then obviously, you watch the lives ofWilliam and Harry, and you see everything about them, and it's kind of like the TrumanShow. They're growing and growing and doing differentthings and being part of different charities, and growing up from young boys to young menand to grown men. And it makes you proud to be English to seethat happen. You watch their lives. You watch what they've been through, and thenyou watch them grow into the people that they are today. And they're very special people. The royal wedding was a huge thing for ourcountry. To have a celebration like that, it was veryspecial. It gave our country a huge lift at the time,and it's continued to do that. But being at the royal wedding was incredible. MARVIN CHOW: Any stories? Any favorite parts? DAVID BECKHAM: I mean, one of the best thingsabout it for my wife, she was eight months pregnant and she was worried about where wewere going to be sitting, as she needed to be as close to the restroom as possible. And our seat was perfect because we couldsee, obviously, William and Kate walk in. But then, obviously, Victoria could then--she was like five steps away from the restroom, which was perfect. So it was an amazing day, and I'm proud tobe a part of that as an Englishman. MARVIN CHOW: That's great. Well, speaking of Victoria and being pregnant,Nur Ikisi has a question about Harper. The question is, has Harper spoken her firstword yet? What was it? And if not, are there any playful competitionsbetween you and Victoria to see if she'll say mommy or daddy first? DAVID BECKHAM: I mean, I think naturally thefirst word is going to be mama. And she's close to it already. She's saying a few things, but I've obviouslygot three amazing boys. And with boys-- I'm sure people that havechildren know, or people who have been around children know-- with boys you can throw themup. They drop and they get up and they just runaround. And with boys it's like that. But it's obviously my first experience ofhaving a little girl. And still, I'm changing her diaper and I'mthinking, I can't believe I've got a girl. So everything about her is feminine. The way she moves, the way she eats, the wayshe smiles, the way she looks-- you know, everything about her is feminine. And I know it sounds obvious, but it's anamazing thing having a little girl in the family now after having three boys. But the best thing about it is she's got threeolder brothers. MARVIN CHOW: Well I have to say she-- DAVID BECKHAM: And a dad. MARVIN CHOW: --I have to say she is an impeccabledresser from what I've seen. DAVID BECKHAM: Her wardrobe is ridiculousalready. I'm glad I got a two-year contract. MARVIN CHOW: Very good. Well, staying with that, I mean, obviously,with three boys and now a girl and Victoria, Andreas Rubio Barigga asks, how do you keepthe balance between work and family? Obviously, you've got a hectic life aroundthe world. What's that like? DAVID BECKHAM: I mean, obviously, as a familywe're very busy. As a couple we're very busy. Victoria's got a collection that is, obviously,doing unbelievably well. But there's a lot of pressure that comes withthat, obviously. I'm working every day. I play and train every day, so it's difficult. But like I said before, our number one priorityis our children and our family. Nothing else gets in the way of that. When I'm away, Victoria's at home with theboys and Harper. When she's away, vice versa. So we're very hands-on parents. I take the kids to school every day. I pick them up every day. We go to Taekwondo. We go to soccer. We got so many things that we do with thekids. And like I said, we're very hands-on parents. So our lives, our busy lives don't affectthe children in any way. But the children understand that we work veryhard as well. We've got a very good balance there. MARVIN CHOW: It's amazing to see people asbusy and hectic as you and Victoria can still take your kids to Taekwondo and be as hands-on. I think it's-- DAVID BECKHAM: I mean, it sets the kids upfor life, I think, the way you are with them at a very young age, and we've got very specialkids. MARVIN CHOW: Earlier you were talking about,obviously, the travel with the Galaxy, and you've lived in Italy, Spain, the UK. Carolina Ramos asks, where is your favoriteplace in the world? DAVID BECKHAM: Favorite place in the world? I would have to say-- funnily enough, I loveParis as a city, funnily enough. And that was, obviously, one of the offersthat I got to go and play there. But I love Paris. As a city it's very romantic. It's this amazing culture, amazing food andwine. But I'm very proud to be English, and London--there's not many better places in the world than London. MARVIN CHOW: Very good. I'm sure our London Googlers will be veryhappy to hear that. DAVID BECKHAM: I hope so. MARVIN CHOW: So while we're on the personallife topic stuff, I have to say, I promised some fellow coworkers I would ask you thisquestion. Please don't be embarrassed. But I think a lot of people are interestedin what's up with the new underwear campaign. DAVID BECKHAM: I knew this was coming. MARVIN CHOW: You know, I mean, how big isit? I heard Superbowl ad. I mean, how big is this thing going to get? DAVID BECKHAM: Another pun. DAVID BECKHAM: I mean, sorry. I need some water. Obviously, I was part of Armani, a campaignfor a couple of years. And that was a huge success. And then, I was interested in doing somethingalong the lines with my own range of underwear and body wear. So I got together with a few people and partof my team and we designed and made everything. And we had the product already to go. And then, H&M; came in and they said look,we can make this better for you, and they did. They're taking it to 1,800 stores, 40 differentcountries, and it's something that I could've-- probably it would have taken a few years,but it wouldn't have reached that level of distribution. So I'm very proud of it. The pictures are good, which I'm happy about. The product looks great. MARVIN CHOW: That's the most important, ofcourse. DAVID BECKHAM: So that's exciting. I'm launching on February 1st, so it's goingto be exciting. That's in London. MARVIN CHOW: So Superbowl ad? No? Can you say? DAVID BECKHAM: There's a Superbowl ad, whichis very exciting because the amount of people that watch the Superbowl, actually, is goingto see the advert. MARVIN CHOW: The worlds of football colliding. DAVID BECKHAM: Which I just thought about. MARVIN CHOW: Very good. Very good. A couple more questions on the personal side. Ntiaz Adjaz asks, I was wondering, are youconsidering starring in a film with Tom Cruise? DAVID BECKHAM: I would love to star in a filmwith Tom Cruise. Who wouldn't? People have asked me over the years, especiallywhen I first moved to LA, they were like, he's obviously going over to become an actor. And I can't act. It's as simple as that. It's something that I've never done. I've been involved with, obviously, advertsand different-- I was involved in a couple of movies that were about soccer. But not major parts. Not much talking involved. So that was great. But who knows? Something might happen in the future thatsomeone comes up to me and says you know, we want you to play this person and maybeit will happen. But I don't think so. It's not something that's an ambition of mine. MARVIN CHOW: You heard it here first. Something might happen in the future. DAVID BECKHAM: Exactly. Never say never. MARVIN CHOW: Never say never. Because you guys are neighbors, right? You live near. DAVID BECKHAM: Yeah, we live five minutesaway. MARVIN CHOW: Five minutes away. So no banter around the recycling bin? DAVID BECKHAM: There's banter. But not banter that I could say live on Google. MARVIN CHOW: Gotcha. Very good. Very good. One more question on this. Deena Koh asks, are you feeling nervous aboutyour first Google+ hangout? DAVID BECKHAM: I'm not nervous. I'm excited. being here today, I was excited. I woke up at 6 o'clock this morning. Gave the kids breakfast just before I leftand I was excited about it. It's something that I was really looking forwardto. So not nervous. MARVIN CHOW: That's good. I think-- DAVID BECKHAM: Why? Should I be? MARVIN CHOW: No. I think-- I think you're doing fine. I think afterwards it will be easy. I mean, it's just video conferencing witha bunch of your fans, talking face to face. It seems like something you'd really enjoy. DAVID BECKHAM: It should be fun, then. MARVIN CHOW: And for those of you who wouldlike to watch that afterwards, David will be talking with some fans at 10:30 PacificTime, right here on his Google+ profile. So I think now, we're going to take some questionsfrom Googlers around the world. I think we'll take a couple questions livefrom here in the audience, and some preselected questions. So any Googler that has a question, pleasebegin lining up. But we'll start with a question from MichaelComplidger from London. And he wants to know, did you have a rolemodel as a child, and who was it? DAVID BECKHAM: I had a role model in football. In soccer, sorry. That was Bryan Robson. He used to play for Manchester United. He was captain of Manchester United. He was captain of England. He wore the number seven for Manchester Unitedand England, and everything that he did I wanted to do and become and do exactly whathe was like as a player. And I was lucky because I wore number sevenfor Manchester United, wore number seven for England, and captained England and ManchesterUnited. So I was very lucky to have done that. So he was a role model that I looked up to. MARVIN CHOW: Why don't we take a live questionover here? AUDIENCE: Hi David. With everything that you've accomplished inyour career and your life in general, what would you say is the most meaningful accomplishmentthat you've had? DAVID BECKHAM: My family. My family is-- DAVID BECKHAM: Aw. It really is. Obviously, I've done a lot in my career andI've been able to be successful in different countries and different teams and differentleagues. And I'm very proud of that, but my proudestpossession is my family. MARVIN CHOW: Why don't we take one on thisside? AUDIENCE: Hi David. I wonder if you could talk a bit about theLondon Olympics. Obviously, you were involved in the bid atthe time. So are you hoping for a place in Team GB andwhat would it mean to you to play at the Olympics? DAVID BECKHAM: I mean, it's exciting for ourcountry to host one of the biggest sporting events in the world. I think it's really exciting. I think the buzz around England and aroundLondon, especially around East London, where obviously, I was brought up, it's exciting. So yes, I would love to be part of Team GB. I've never been involved in an Olympics, andwhen the team came to me and said, we want you to be involved in the bid to get the Olympicsto our country, into London, I wasn't skeptical. But I was kind of nervous because I'm notan athlete that has performed in the Olympics. So I was worried what I was going to bringto the table, and what I was going to do to help bring it to our country. But to be there and to be part of a successfulbid to bring it to London, I was very proud. It's one of the proudest moments that I'vebeen involved in. Especially, to be sat there one side and then,the Paris side was sat at the other side, and all the media, actually, had moved toin front of the Paris team. So we all of a sudden got worried, and thenwe expected Paris to be called out. And then London came out, and it was an excitingtime. It's going to be an amazing game. We're going to make it proud. MARVIN CHOW: That's great. We have a question from Anushe Ganda fromLondon. And going back to the proudest moment-- inyour footballing career so far, what would be the proudest moment? DAVID BECKHAM: Proudest moment in my footballingcareer? It would have to be winning The Treble forManchester United. The year '99 was a great year. I got married, I had my first son, and wewon The Treble. So it was a big year. MARVIN CHOW: We'll take a question on thisside. AUDIENCE: Hi David. Since moving to California, what's the funniestmisunderstanding you or Victoria have had because of your accent? DAVID BECKHAM: I'm not sure we've had a funnierone then as our children had the other day. We were sat there in the kitchen. Well, in our first year, and Brooklyn waswriting on a piece of paper or drawing or doing some sketching, and he said, Daddy,I need some rubbers. And I started looking around and I lookedover and we had a couple of friends there from the U.S. and they looked in shock. And I didn't understand it at the time buthe now calls them erasers, anyway. MARVIN CHOW: That is awesome. We'll take one on this side. AUDIENCE: Hi David. Thank you for coming. Actually I don't have an accent. I just really like yours. DAVID BECKHAM: That's a great accents. AUDIENCE: Thanks. Yeah, so thanks for coming. I'm wondering, after today's hangout, do youhave plans on how you'd like to use hangouts in the future, in terms of engaging with yourfans all over the world? DAVID BECKHAM: Well, I'm hoping it goes well. Then, there will definitely be more. I think-- this is the first time I've doneit, so it's exciting to be able to hang out with fans that have supported me over theyears and throughout my career. It's special, and obviously it gives thema chance to ask me questions that they've, obviously, never been able to. So I'm excited and hopefully there'll be more. AUDIENCE: Can I get a quick picture with you? DAVID BECKHAM: Of course, you can. MARVIN CHOW: Oh, it's starting again. AUDIENCE: You look handsome by the way. DAVID BECKHAM: Thank you. You look very lovely. MARVIN CHOW: All right, ready? 1, 2, 3, cheese. There you go. AUDIENCE: Thank you. DAVID BECKHAM: No problem. Nice to meet you. MARVIN CHOW: Thank you for coming. Thank you David. Back to the questions. Darminder Singh from the San Francisco officeasks about, throughout your career you played against many teams. Which particular team or set of players hasleft you in awe? I think you talked about players, but maybeyou could talk a little bit more on the team side that you've played against. DAVID BECKHAM: I think teams that I've playedagainst that have left me in awe-- I'd have to say the Barcelona team. Every time you come up against the Barcelonateam, they play the game in such a great way. But I think the one team that I played againstthat were amazing, it was where Ronaldo, the Brazilian player, got a standing ovation fromthe Manchester United fans. And that team, watching that team, the waythey played, for me- it left you kind of in awe of the players, of the setup, of themas a club, and the players that played there. They had Zidane, Raul, Roberto, Carlos, Ronaldo. Little did I know I'd be playing with themthe season after. So that was exciting. But they're definitely the team I was in aweof. MARVIN CHOW: That's great. That's great. Why don't we take a question on this side. AUDIENCE: Your wife's been known to wear somepretty ridiculously tall shoes. I was wondering what your opinion is on yourwife's footwear. DAVID BECKHAM: I think taller the better. Put it this way, I've not worn them. She said over the years that I wore her underwear,for some unknown reason. She said that live on TV, by the way, whichis not true. But the shoes are great. I love a pair of high heels on a lady. I like them. MARVIN CHOW: Another high heel question onthis side or a different question? AUDIENCE: Hi David. I have a question. So if you were to pick a team to beat, let'ssay, Barcelona, so which one do you want to choose? And do you already have some ideas to beatthem? DAVID BECKHAM: I think to come up againsta Barcelona team is exciting. You can never be worried about playing againsta team. As great as Barcelona are, as great as RealMadrid and Manchester United are, we're a team that's growing. And we've got some very good young playersin our team. And we've been able, like I said earlier aboutthe interest in this league and our team around the world, we've had some of the biggest playersin the biggest teams come over and want to play against us in preseason games. So we've come up against AC Milan, Barcelona,Real Madrid. I was going to say Manchester City but-- we'vecome up against some great teams and it's great to have that interest. So you should never be worried about who you'regoing to play against. MARVIN CHOW: We'll take one final questionover here and then I'll— AUDIENCE: One more, please? AUDIENCE: Thanks for coming, David. I know you've been around the league. You've been around various different leagues. Where would you like to finish your soccercareer at? Would you like to go back to Manchester United? Do you want to stay in America? Or, do you want to tackle a league that you'venever been to? DAVID BECKHAM: I mean, my next birthday inMay I'll be 37. AUDIENCE: Still really young. It's really young. DAVID BECKHAM: In soccer years it's not soyoung. AUDIENCE: But in Beckham years it's reallyyoung. DAVID BECKHAM: In life it's young. And I still feel young. So I'll continue to play the game as longas can. I love it. Every single day I enjoy going to training. I enjoy playing in games. I enjoy being part of a team. And my contract's now for two years, so itwill take me up to almost 39, almost. And then, we'll see. I think people expected me to move away fromthe Galaxy or retire at the end of this year. So I'm excited about these next couple ofyears, but we'll see what happens in the future. MARVIN CHOW: We do actually have a shirt foryou. I'm not going to ask you to autograph it,but we do have a Google Beckham track jacket which we would like to present to you. Thank you very much. DAVID BECKHAM: Thank you. Thank you. MARVIN CHOW: We definitely want to thank youfor coming. I think in addition to the track jacket, allthe Googlers here in the audience, please know that there's a Google+ David Beckhamt-shirt for everyone here. It will be available in Benghazi in Building43 from now until 11:00 AM. I don't think David can sign all of them. So please be understanding around that. But please enjoy your free t-shirt. For those of you on the live stream and forthose of you that have more questions, please feel free to join David at 10:30 at a hangouton his Google+ profile. Thank you very much, David. We really appreciate it. It was fantastic. It was really appreciated. DAVID BECKHAM: Thank you.