David Beckham on family values, playing lego and bee-keeping

One thing is for certain, Mr Beckham is pleased to be in Stockholm. “I haven’t been back in a while,” smiles the superstar, who though now retired from his meteoric football career for 10 years, seems busier than ever when Vogue Scandinavia gets a recent audience with him. In fact, he’s right, the last time he graced Swedish waters was way back when he was launching H&M’s now infamous Bodywear campaign: “Yeah, sorry about that,” he laughs.

During his 20-year career, the 47-year-old former ‘golden balls’ notched up an eye-watering 700 matches, three World Cup campaigns and scored a whopping 129 goals. But even still, in all that time he’s remained relatively humble. “I got brought up in the East End of London by parents who were working class and they were always an inspiration to me. My parents still work now,” he says today.

This low-key, relatable side of the football star is probably most evident in his role as a father of four, now spending frantic mornings preparing breakfast for the family and doing the school run (though there’s only Harper left at home now, he laments) and extracurricular activities (yes, football, obviously). Even joking once in a Jimmy Kimmel interview that his first few post-football years he felt more like an Uber-driver than a world-recognised star, something which most bedraggled parents can surely relate to. In fact, from the sounds of it, his retirement has opened up a world of realisations for him - and not just the fact that the school run can be a tough business.

“Time definitely goes quicker when you get older, so you have to enjoy every moment because you can’t stop time,” he says, “It’s one of the things you always wish you could do, especially when you’ve got children, family, and friends, and you have great moments you just want to remember.”

“You know how protective you feel over them [your kids] and how you want them to have dreams and have drive… but more importantly, you have to enjoy the moment with them,” he says.

Embracing life with all that you have is a sentiment that he has taken on with gusto ever since he played his last match with Paris Saint-Germain back in 2013. “I started planning with my team, probably around when I was 30 years old, about what was going to happen when I finished my career. When I retired in Paris, I was 38 years old, we had just won the French league…” says the much-loved icon.

But it’s not like he’s been twiddling his thumbs since then. Most recently he’s been busy with his new partnership with watch brand Tudor. “Tudor’s slogan ‘Born to dare’ is something I think I’ve taken on sometimes throughout my football career,” he explains, “but also now when I am able to do things I wasn’t able to when I was playing – I couldn’t snowboard, ride motorbikes, horse ride… and they are all things that I love, so I started doing them when I retired.” Not one to sit in the shadows, he’s even been trying his hand at free diving, pushing himself out of his regular safe spaces and spending a stretch training with French world champion Morgan Bourc'his out in the waters near Miami. “That was one of the things that has taken me out of my comfort zone,” says Beckham.

And it’s not just watery sports that he’s taken a shine too later on in life, one of his more unusual hobbies he’s been captivated with has been Lego. Known for its mindful capabilities, for Beckham the little building blocks “helps him relax,” sometimes keeping him busy until two or three in the morning crafting away. Victoria has even been known to voice her loveable frustration at the fact she’s lost her husband to nights spent one impressive colourful creation after another – a Land Rover car and even a turreted castle. Perhaps these new-found hobbies are a bit of a salve for the couples’ new empty nest.

“I had four children at home, and then all of a sudden there was only on,” he says. “I have my oldest son, Brooklyn, who lives in Los Angeles, Romeo lives in Miami playing for the team, my youngest son Cruz was at boarding school, and my daughter, Harper, who is 11, is the only one at home now. So, just enjoy it! The best gift I’ve ever received is my children.”