For the past decade, David Beckham has been working tirelessly on his dream of running a football club in America – and just four months ago, he finally achieved it.
As he stood with his family at the opening of Inter Miami’s brand- new stadium ahead of the team’s first home match, the former England captain couldn’t have been happier. But now it looks as if his dream could be in tatters, as sporting clubs around the world struggle to recover from the global pandemic.
And because Miami is in Florida – one of the places worst hit by coronavirus, and where it’s showing no signs of getting back to normal – it’s feared the club may never return to proper action again.
“This is their biggest test yet. David is very concerned about the club’s future,” our Beckham insider says.
“It’s taken him over ten years of blood, sweat and tears to get the doors to this Miami stadium open – and when he did, it was the proudest moment of his life. Now, after playing only two games in front of supporters, it all looks under threat and it may not be possible for the team to play again – it’s heartbreaking.
“Both he and Victoria are terrified about what this could mean for them as a brand – not to mention their personal fortune. Vic’s been trying her best to support him by being there to listen and trying to offer advice, but it’s an area she doesn’t really have a lot of knowledge about, so she’s feeling pretty powerless at the moment.”
Check out: UK WAGs - where are they now?
The UK Wags - where are they now?
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1 of 9Victoria Beckham
One half of the indestructible Beckham brand, Victoria was the original Queen WAG in 2006. At the time Victoria had been married to David for seven years and had just given birth to her third boy, Cruz. She had also just launched her denim line, dvb Style and walked the catwalk for Roberto Cavalli. Over a decade later, she is a fully fledged and well respected fashion designer, with a fourth addition to her brood – the adorable Harper.
2 of 9Coleen Rooney
Coleen rose to fame as a WAG at just 20 years old. Coleen and Wayne are married and they celebrated their ten-year anniversary in 2018. However, Wayne's repeated cheating has strained the relationship over the years. They have four children together, Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass. Since 2006 Coleen has released a fitness DVD, been a style advisor for Littlewoods and even had a column with us in Closer magazine.
3 of 9Cheryl
How could we forget Cheryl as a WAG? Back then, 23-year-old Cheryl was a popstar in Girls Aloud who had just married Ashley Cole. Nowadays, Cheryl is a household name and a worldwide celebrity in her own right. After splitting from Ashley in 2010, she had a successful (well, successful-ish) solo career, was a judge on The X Factor and was the face of beauty brand L'Oreal. She married Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in 2016 but they divorced three months later. Most recently, Cheryl separated from One Direction singer, Liam Payne, who she has a baby son called Bearwith.
4 of 9Abbey Clancy
Abbey first grabbed our attention in 2006 as one of the finalists in Britain's Next Top Model. She began dating Peter Crouch that same year and the pair are now married with three kids Sophia Ruby, Liberty Rose and baby Johnny. Lingerie model Abbey went on to win Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 and she returned to Britain's Next Top Model as the show's presenter. Not bad work, eh?
5 of 9Danielle Lloyd
Danielle Lloyd was dating footballer Teddy Sheringham when she gained her WAG status. At the time, her title as Miss Great Britain was a controversial matter and she was later stripped of it. Fast forward to now and Danielle has appeared on TV shows such as Celebrity Big Brother, Total Wipeout, The Weakest Link and even Come Dine With Me. She has three sons, Archie, Harry and George with her now ex-husband Jamie O'Hara. Danielle gave birth to a fourth child with her husband Michael O'Neill, Ronnie, in 2017.
6 of 9Elen Rivas
Elen Rivas was engaged to Frank Lampard at the time of the 2006 World Cup, and was a permanent fixture in the WAG circle. After splitting from Frank after a seven-year relationship, she dated Peter Andre, appeared on Dancing On Ice and now looks after her two daughters Luna and Isla while working as a model. Frank has since married TV presenter Christine Bleakley and they've welcomed their daughter Patricia into the world.
7 of 9Louise Owen
Despite being married to one of the most famous footballers at the time, Louise Owen wasn't your stereotype WAG. She has always managed to keep her distance from the limelight. Her passion is rescuing race horses and she currently lives in Wales with her husband Michael and their four children, Gemma, James, Jessica and Emily.
8 of 9Carly Zucker
Now known as Carly Cole after marrying midfielder Joe Cole in Chelsea in 2009, Carly loved to party during the 2006 World Cup (we know the feeling). She then spent two weeks in the jungle during I'm A Celeb in 2009 before being the third to be booted out. Carly and Joe have had three children, Ruby, Harrison and Max together.
9 of 9Alex Curran
Former nail technician Alex Curran began dating Liverpool player Steven Gerrard in 2002. She was one of the leading figures in the 2006 WAG squad. The pair married in 2007 and they have had four children together, Lexie, Lio, Lord, Lilly-Ella. Fashion lover Alex has released a perfume, fronted a Lipsy campaign and written a weekly shopping column for a national newspaper.
Florida has seen its cases of coronavirus surge recently after the state eased its lockdown, leading to it being put under restrictions again – and it’s unlikely that any large gatherings or spectator sports will be allowed any time soon. Major League Soccer games will resume this week, with all teams playing a special tournament behind closed doors at Disney World to fulfil their TV obligations.
The season had only just kicked off when it was suspended, and while discussions are underway within MLS about how to continue the regular season, it’s by no means certain that fans will be allowed to watch in the stadiums.
The issue has been further complicated by individual states having different quarantine and social distancing rules. It’s a huge blow to David and his new team, as getting spectators through the gates and watching games is essential for them if they want to earn revenue and build a loyal fan base.
The insider says, “The situation in Florida is pretty bad, and recovery is a long time off. It’s cast a huge shadow over the football business, as it’s impossible to say when they can get the stadiums open again. David is watching everything he built just slip away – the cost is enormous, there was so much money invested, and once they opened the doors, they needed all the ticket and merchandise sales they could get to bring the cash in. It’s a disaster.”
David, along with Posh, is worth an estimated £336million, placing the couple among the UK’s super-rich. When he signed up to play for LA Galaxy in 2007, he was given an option to buy his own Major League Soccer franchise for £25m, which he took up with Miami. While he has other investors, it’s thought he’s put in a lot more than his initial investment, and we’re told he has a lot riding on this venture. The couple had also just purchased a £24m apartment in Miami, which could now be unnecessary, as they may no longer need a base there. So, it’s no wonder the Beckhams are feeling the pressure.
“This is the hardest thing David has ever endured – he’s sitting there watching it all fall apart and he feels powerless to do anything,” says the insider. “It’s a very worrying situation for him individually and for then as a couple. It’s not just the personal upset of losing his dream, it’s also everything they have invested in the business. They could be facing losing a lot of money over this. They’ve been used to a jet-set lifestyle – with luxurious holidays and properties all over the world – and if this all goes wrong, they may have to scale back.”
The source continues, “David is feeling really stressed out and frustrated. He’s on the other side of the world in the UK, so he’s unable to even hold proper meetings. It’s been overshadowing everything these past few weeks. He and Victoria really don’t know what’s going to happen or what the future has in store. Back in March, they were genuinely looking at Miami as a future home, somewhere they would be spending more and more time as the football took off there. Now, it’s all gone crazy and it’s hard to know if the business can be saved.”
The couple – who are parents to Brooklyn, 21, Romeo, 17, Cruz, 15, and nine-year-old Harper – have been enjoying family time at their Cotswolds home, with David embracing country life by taking lots of walks and even making his own honey. But the source says he was expecting to be back in Miami by now, relaunching the team and splitting his time between the two countries. But, due to quarantine rules, if he were to fly back and forth, he would have to isolate for two weeks when he gets back to the UK and that’s just not feasible. And the uncertainty has left both him and Victoria– whose fashion business is also under strain, with £12m losses last year alone – in a panic.
“It doesn’t help that Vic is taking it really personally. She feels like they’ve had a long run of bad luck and it’s draining her,” we’re told. “At the start of the year, she felt as if they’d started a new life chapter, really appreciating their marriage and family life. Now this has been thrown at them and is threatening to derail everything again.”
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