Pictures: Courtesy of the BBC
When David Beckham retired from professional football, he decided he wanted an adventure. There were a few criteria, of course. Firstly, he needed to go incognito to somewhere he would not be recognised (which rules out most of the world). Secondly, he wanted to be able to come and go as he chose, free from the rigorous scheduling that dictated his life as an athlete. The solution? A motorbike trip to the Amazon rainforest, of course.
David Beckham Into The Unknown, airing next Monday on BBC One, follows the father-of-four on this trip of a lifetime as he and three friends camp in the jungle, build campfires, fillet fish and meet the locals in this untouched part of the world.
“It ended up being everything that I’d hoped for and more,” Beckham said. “It’s an experience that I’d definitely do again because it involved being away with friends, on motorbikes and being in a place like Brazil. I love Brazil in general, but to see it the way we saw it – I’d do it again.”
Surreal moments abound, especially seeing Beckham adjusting to sleeping in a hammock amongst the monkeys, tarantulas and other creepy crawlies, but the most surprising? When a Yanomami tribesman asks innocently “So, what is football?”
David Beckham Into The Unknown will air on Monday 9 June at 8.30pm on BBC One.
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