David Beckham increase Sheikh jassim’s chance of taking over Manchester United

It seems as though everywhere you turn recently, David Beckham is popping up in one way or another. Through his Netflix documentary special, ‘Beckham’, or his potential involvement with the club he spent over a decade at, Manchester United, Golden Balls is the topic on everyone’s mind. But can the incredible marketing power of David Beckham actually influence Sheikh Jassim’s chances at taking over United, or is this just the latest round of gossip on a long-running saga for Man Utd fans?

It’s been nearly a year since the potential sale of Manchester United was touted, but despite multiple bidding rounds and speculation on both sides of the fence, it seems that they are no closer to a resolution than before. As the football betting markets went wild and the stock price soared and plummeted as each new tantalising piece of gossip hit the news, fans began to question whether this was all just a PR stunt to calm an already exasperated fanbase that has seen their club underperforming in recent years and watching the Theatre of Dreams fall into the even greater disrepair. In fact, just last week, a report that Jim Ratcliffe, one of the key bidders, might be considering taking a minority stake in United while leaving the Glazers in charge, only served to compound the growing frustration that many had been feeling.

This week however, while nothing has changed for certain, it seems the latest bit of news to hit the headlines has encouraged United fans to find their voice again in hope that this long-running saga might finally have a happier ending. If reports are to be believed, David Beckham’s recent statement about wanting stability and knowing the ‘right purchasers’ for his former club, have led many to draw a connection between his ambassadorial involvement at Qatar’s World Cup 2022 and this being a segue to becoming a potential ambassador to Sheikh Jassim if his bid is accepted. Of course this may be nothing more than another rumour in what seems to be an ever-spinning mill, but the chances that Manchester United could finally be rid of the Glazer’s whilst also reconnecting with arguably one of their greatest ever players, is an incredibly tempting opportunity. With the marketing prowess of Beckham, who’s latest documentary has netted him over 500,000 new social followers and been met with rave reviews from critics, acting alongside a bidder in Sheikh Jassim, who has the ability to purchase the club without any further debt encumbering it, may be the catalyst in pushing the Glazer’s to finally agreeing to part ways with a club that has seemingly been nothing short of a ‘cash cow’ for them.

But before United fans begin to dream of a life without the Glazers and with Golden Balls by their side, there is one crucial piece of the puzzle that even an icon like Beckham wouldn’t be able to solve. With Ratcliffe’s bid, whilst unpopular with fans, valuing the club at £6 billion, Sheikh Jassim would have to defy what has been widely reported as his intention not to go any higher than £5 billion, and agree to increase his bid on yet another occasion to woo the Glazer’s. Whilst this may seem just a small financial increment to a man with so much wealth available, the publicity of him bending a knee to the demands of the existing owners is not such a small feat, especially when any show of compromise could still be met by a preference to rebuff him and either not sell, or to agree terms with Jim Ratcliffe instead.

It feels like, for now, there is no immediate resolution on the table and that United fans may have to continue what feels like an endless waiting period to know what future exists for their club. Perhaps, if only for a small amount of solace, the fact that on a day where the club mourned for Alex Ferguson’s late wife, Lady Cathy Ferguson, that their win against Brentford on the weekend consisted of two goals in injury time, passionately known as Fergie time, may just be enough to calm nerves for now. Hopefully that same luck and Fergie magic might help Beckham land his ambassadorial role after all, or at the very least help them in their upcoming match at Sheffield United next Saturday.