David Beckham is revered as one of the Premier League’s all-time special players.
Having scored 62 goals, delivered 83 assists and won six titles across 265 top-flight games, the former Manchester United midfielder was one of the first eight former players to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame back in 2021.
The Englishman also played with and against a wide range of top players during his time with the Red Devils, facing off against Manchester City on five occasions.
With Pep Guardiola’s side now being the dominant force in English football having won six top-flight trophies in the past seven years, the former United star has pinpointed one figure in City’s squad he has a lot of admiration for.
David Beckham says he wished he played like Kevin De Bruyne
Appearing in a recent edition of Rio Ferdinand Presents alongside his former United and England teammate, Beckham said this when Ferdinand likened the former midfielder’s style of play to Kevin De Bruyne.
He said: “Well, he is good. I would love to play like De Bruyne.”
This isn’t the first time Beckham has shared how highly he rates the City star, as Beckham picked De Bruyne over Paul Scholes when building a combined XI of United’s 1999 side and the current City team.
Kevin Nolan said De Bruyne is on the same level as Steven Gerrard
Beckham isn’t the only former Premier League midfielder to speak highly of the Belgian recently, as Kevin Nolan gave this comparison between De Bruyne and Steven Gerrard earlier this season.
He said: “Kevin De Bruyne does things that no one else can do. He makes passes no one else can make.
“I would go as far to say that not even Steven Gerrard could make the passes that we see Kevin De Bruyne do.
“Gerrard is the best player to have played in the Premier League, the best midfielder to do so, but Kevin De Bruyne is getting closer to him than anyone ever has.”
Since joining the Manchester club back in 2015 for £54m, the 33-year-old has scored 103 goals and delivered 171 assists in 388 appearances across all competitions.
Taking all of that on board, it’s understandable why Beckham has admitted that he would have loved to have been able to play how De Bruyne does, despite having a rather successful playing career.
