Was David Beckham world class? Former England captain and Manchester United legend bizarrely attacked by Matt Le Tissier after posting picture with Bill Gates

David Beckham and Matt Le Tissier pose for a picture after a match between Manchester United and Southampton in 1999.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Former Southampton icon Matt Le Tissier has criticised Manchester United legend and ex-England team-mate David Beckham in a bizarre attack on social media.

Le Tissier, an often outspoken figure online, launched the attack on Beckham for posting a picture of himself alongside Bill Gates last year.

In the image, which Beckham posted on his Instagram account, the Inter Miami co-owner can be seen alongside Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

Beckham met Gates at a conference run by the Gates Foundation last year, with former Chelsea icons Didier Drogba and Michael Essien also at the event.

Speaking on a podcast hosted by former Wales international David Cotterrill, he said: "My stomach turns when I saw that picture of David Beckham, [and] Bill Gates. I mean seriously, why? Why?

"You're a good footballer, David. You weren't world class, you were a very, very good footballer. At what you did, you were very good.

"Why are you getting involved? What are you getting involved with that bloke for? Do you have any idea what crimes he's committed... I think it's all part and parcel of that circle, of people of that level."

Le Tissier has been a vocal critic of the UK government and establishment figures over the past few years.

The Southampton legend criticised the government during the Covid-19 pandemic and has described himself as a "conspiracy realist" in the past.

Le Tissier and Beckham were England team-mates in the late 1990s.

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David Beckham at Real Madrid: the story of how Goldenballs became a Galactico with his move from Manchester United in 2003.

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Ben Hayward
Weekend editor

Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.

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