David Beckham has confirmed that he will be voting for Britain to remain in the EU. The father-of-four shared a heartfelt post on his social media accounts on Tuesday – two days before the vote is held – stating that he wants his children to be part of "a connected world".
The former England football captain said that whatever the outcome of the referendum, he believes Britain will always be great, but cited his own experiences playing for teams across Europe to explain his decision.
David Beckham has confirmed that he will be voting for Britain to remain in the EU
"I'm passionate about my country and whatever the result of Thursday's referendum, we will always be Great," he began. "Each side has the right to their opinion and that should always be respected whatever the outcome of the European Referendum.
"I played my best years at my boyhood club Manchester United. I grew up with a core group of young British players that included Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville Brothers. Added to that was an experienced group of older British players such as Gary Pallister, Steve Bruce and Paul Ince.
"Now that team might have gone on to win trophies but we were a better and more successful team because of a Danish goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel, the leadership of an Irishman Roy Keane and the skill of a Frenchman in Eric Cantona."
The father-of-four said Europe should be "facing the problems of the world together"
The 41-year-old continued: "I was also privileged to play and live in Madrid, Milan and Paris with teammates from all around Europe and the world. Those great European cities and their passionate fans welcomed me and my family and gave us the opportunity to enjoy their unique and inspiring cultures and people.
"We live in a vibrant and connected world where together as a people we are strong. For our children and their children we should be facing the problems of the world together and not alone. For these reasons I am voting to Remain."
Prime Minister David Cameron later spoke about the star's endorsement during an appearance on Lorraine.
The Prime Minister spoke about David's endorsement during an appearance on Lorriane
"There was a very moving statement today from David Beckham talking about his children and saying how effectively, what he said to me was, 'You can't win in Europe, unless you're on the pitch', and that's true," he said.
"I worry about that as Prime Minister, I know that we sit around the table [with Europe] and make decisions about security and safety and fighting terrorism and all the rest of it, fighting climate change and if we leave they don't stop meeting and making decisions that affect us, but they'll be making decisions about us but without us in the room and that would be bad for Britain."