David Beckham in tears as he comes off in his final match before retirement

I think over the years, when I’ve seen players retire — when you ask them about it, they always say ‘You know when you’re ready.’ And I think I know when I’m ready,” Beckham said after announcing his retirement earlier this week. “I think I’m ready. Obviously it’s a difficult decision because I still feel I can play at the top level — and still have done for the last six months. But I always secretly said to myself that I want to go out at the top.” He also joked that he knew it was time to retire “when [Lionel] Messi was running past me,” in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Read More on …  “Tonight is the end of my career for sure.”