“Just a different animal” – Manchester United legend David Beckham chooses ‘unbelievable athlete’ as his favorite basketball player

Manchester United legend David Beckham has chosen Kobe Bryant as his favorite basketball player.

The former Red Devils man spoke with his old teammate Gary Neville on The Overlap, where Beckham opened up about how impressive he found the former LA Lakers man:

“Kobe is [my favorite basketball player] because I was in LA at a time where he was unbelievable. He was always unbelievable but the championships they were winning at the time and the rivalry between Lakers and Celtics. Kobe was just a different animal."

He added:

“When we go and watch a sporting event, you stay there until the last second that whistle goes and I was the same at basketball games. People hated going with me to a basketball game because normally, if the game’s done with two minutes to go, you get up and leave. I stayed there to watch Kobe walk off that court because he was just an unbelievable athlete and unbelievable person and just the best.”

After the tragic news of Kobe Bryant's death hit the sports world, Beckham penned an emotional tribute in which he called the basketballer a "special athlete". Bryant sadly lost his life in a helicopter accident in January 2020.

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Can Manchester United return to its golden age?

While David Beckham might reminisce about the years he spent at Old Trafford, which were filled with glory, he won't have much to be excited about today.

The former Manchester United man spent over a decade of his professional career with the club, coming up from the youth team. Before his move to Real Madrid, Beckham won six Premier League titles with the Red Devils, alongside two FA Cups and a Champions League trophy.

This seems like an impossible feat for the current Manchester United side that just ended the season in Europa League slots. They were outclassed in every manner, including conceding a total of nine goals to longtime rivals Liverpool during the course of the season.

The last time United won a trophy was back in 2017. Jose Mourinho was still the manager, and players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were still at Old Trafford. Fast forward five years, and it looks like Manchester United's golden age of football is a thing of the past.

Erik ten Hag has taken up the managerial role at Old Trafford and could be the manager to fix the broken ship. However, it may take more than an overhaul of the playing staff to bring back the club towards a level where they can vie for trophies again.