Sky Sports presenter Alex Aljoe joked that she was sceptical about David Beckham’s claim of recalling their interview during his stint at Real Madrid. At the Club World Cup, where Aljoe is covering for DAZN, she reunited with Beckham, sparking a humorous exchange on The Rest Is Football with Micah Richards, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer.
Aljoe recalled asking Beckham if he remembered their past meeting: “I congratulated him on his knighthood and asked if he remembered me from years ago, when I interviewed him at Real Madrid. He said yes, but the jury’s out on that one.”
In recounting the tale, mayhem ensued when Richards jokingly accused Aljoe of fibbing: “He was lying. He was lying, he was definitely lying.” Aljoe recounted her interaction with Beckham at the tournament’s opener: “Well, that opening game was amazing, they had an opening ceremony as well.”
She went on to describe a star-studded event, adding: “[There were] fireworks, French Montana performing…then the players came out one by one, Beckham was there. Sorry, Sir David Beckham was there…” Before detailing her congratulations.
Lineker chimed in defending Beckham’s honour: “Knights don’t lie Alex. Knights of the realm do not lie!” Richards offered to verify the claim by reaching out to Beckham, which led Shearer to burst into laughter with his teasing remark: “Listen to him, ‘I can text him for you’, what a k*** you are!”.
In a recent ceremony, Beckham was bestowed with a knighthood as part of King Charles’ Birthday Honours – an award the football legend describes as a “truly humbling and emotional moment”.
The 50-year-old revealed: “Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour.
“To have played for and captained my country was the greatest privilege of my career, and literally a boyhood dream come true.
“I’m so lucky to be able to do the work that I do, and I’m grateful to be recognised for work that gives me so much fulfilment.”
Inter Miami, Beckham’s current team, face Porto on Thursday evening in their next match at the Club World Cup after opening the tournament with a 0-0 draw against Al Ahli.