David Beckham admits 'it does hurt a little bit' when asked about public's view of him

David Beckham revealed his sadness at the view the strength of his celebrity profile has sometimes overpowered what he achieved in his footballing days.

The legend was a perennial winner during his career, earning six titles and a historic Treble in 1999, which included the Red Devils' first triumph for 31 years.

After departing Old Trafford in 2003, the ex-England great went on to play for the likes of , LA Galaxy, AC Milan and , where he picked up further honours to add to his storied legacy.

It was during the latter years at his boyhood club where Beckham's international profile skyrocketed as , Emporio Armani and luxury watch brand Tudor. He's since become a global brand, as well as co-owner of MLS side Inter Miami, where he's attracted the likes of icons , Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets.

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Appearing on the podcast, Beckham revealed to his former United and team-mate, , that the dismissal of his footballing career in favour of his mammoth celebrity profile by some has upset him.

"I can't lie, it does hurt a little bit," the 49-year-old admitted. "Because over the years, it's probably been talked about more than often, about obviously that side of things for me.

"But I suppose it was always gonna be mentioned at some point because obviously, I had obviously the career that I had had, but then I had something outside of my football as well that wasn't as important as the football, but now it's what I do.

"So I knew that at some point when I finished playing, I was gonna move into the business side of things and the things that I did during my career would help that side of my business, and it has. So I'm very lucky, but obviously, I'd rather people turn around and say that he was a great player, or a great person, or won what I'd won.

"But I think people are still starting to talk more like that. I think the documentary that I did obviously recently, I think reminded people maybe of the player that I had."

Beckham went on to decline accusations that endorsements deals that he signed during his career derailed him on the pitch, admitting he always put his football first when it came to potential sponsorships.

"I think that I always look for the future," he told Ferdinand. "Is this a good deal? Those are the things I look at. Is this brand good for me? Is it good for my business? And is it going to affect my football?

"And that's the first question I'd ask. Is it going to affect my football? And none of them did. None of the deals that I did over my career, you know, affected me on the pitch. You know, people talked about it. Did it affect me? No."

Listen to the full Rio Meets Becks interview on and .

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