Sands Global Ambassador and football icon David Beckham was in Singapore to attend a press conference for Marina Bay Sands' (MBS) unveiling of their new brand mission Above Beyond yesterday (Nov 7).

The Manchester United legend, who's now the president and co-owner of Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF, has visited Singapore on numerous occasions, going back to his playing days when the club came to Singapore for tours and exhibition matches.

The 49-year-old, being a Sands ambassador, has also attended several events held at MBS. When asked for a place he must always visit in Singapore, he said: "The ArtScience Museum. I must admit, there's always something interesting going on there."

He added: "I always go there and I always send pictures to the kids and they're all like, 'Dad, can we come here next time?'"

David also mentioned how his partnership with MBS reminds him of his time at Manchester United: "When I first went to Manchester United when I was 11 years old, I met so many people that are now still part of Manchester United and it's the same here. Eleven years ago when I met so many people walking around the property, the people are still here 11 years on and it's like a big family."

Beyond his football career and sports, David is also an icon for many luxury lifestyle and entertainment brands. Continuing to be successful in so many ventures brings with it many challenges.

When asked how he gets through tough times, he said: "There'll always be challenges in life, in business, nobody has a perfect day every day but it's all about surrounding yourself with great people that are always loyal, honest and truthful."

He added: "I've been very, very lucky. You know, throughout my career, I've been part of great teams. Every team that I was part of and I was successful with, you know, we won. But it wasn't about the individual. At Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson always used to bring good players in, but he would never go and get the greatest player in the world, because it was about the team."

"Sometimes I've gone into games and not had my best performance, but I know my teammate is there to protect me and look after me and also support me. And it's the same in this business as well. There's not always going to be a perfect day and there's going to be challenges, but it's all about the team.

He also points to his family as his motivation to continue being successful: "Ultimately what drives me is my family. I had 22 years playing a game that I loved… but when I finished playing football 11 years ago, I also wanted to set the right example for my children."

David's other ventures include his Emmy Award-winning biopic documentary Beckham (2023) which follows his rise to stardom as a football player and an icon in pop culture.

"A lot of people wanted me to make the documentary 10 years before, when I retired, but to be honest I wasn't ready to look back at my career at that point. I was ready to jump into something else and I jumped into starting the team in Miami.

"But then throughout the pandemic, that's when documentaries kind of got really popular. And then I thought, you know what, it's coming up to the 10-year anniversary of my retirement, maybe this is the right time."

A new Marina Bay Sands

MBS has reached a significant milestone in its US$1.75 billion (S$2.31 billion) reinvestment programme that started in 2022, with the completion of the exclusive Paiza Collection of rooms and suites and the unveiling of their new brand mission Above Beyond.

Approximately 1,540 new rooms, including 635 suites, have been completed, and all rooms from the original design have been retired from inventory. Refurbishment works are now focused on completing the Sands Collection in Tower 3 by the second quarter of 2025. Once complete, there will be approximately 1,850 rooms including 775 suites.

jordan.tan@asiaone.com

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