David Beckham has shared his sadness as he heard the news that US journalist Grant Wahl had passed away during the Qatar World Cup.
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Grant was covering the World Cup and was in the press box for the quarter-finals match between Argentina and the Netherlands when he collapsed. CPR was carried out on the 48-year-old before he was transported to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. In the run-up to the match, Grant had complained about chest pains, which led to doctors believing that he had a case of bronchitis.
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Taking to his Instagram Stories, David penned a touching tribute to Grant, writing: "So sad to hear today. Rest in peace Grant." His message was accompanied by a black-and-white of the journalist.
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Grant and David knew each other well, with the former Sports Illustrated journalist spending two years interviewing the footballer following his move to Soccer club LA Galaxy for his book, The Beckham Experiment.
The publication led to a fallout between David and his former teammates Landon Donovan, who had been critical of the star, but the pair have since reconciled.
David paid tribute to Grant
Grant had been critical of the way that Qatar has been hosting the World Cup, especially its treatment of migrant workers and LGBTQ+ fans.
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Rainbow-emblazoned iconography has been banned from stadiums and Grant was on the receiving end of this he was temporarily detained as he a wore rainbow-patterned attire.
Grant took a bold stance
Following his death, the Mirror reported that his brother, Eric, claimed that Grant began receiving "death threats" following the incident and that he appealed for help on Instagram, believing that his brother had been killed.
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Grant had previously spoken about the discomfort that the suspected bronchitis had caused him, saying five days before his death: "My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you."
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