David Beckham’s celebrations following Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup triumph shows the star is now humble and down to earth, leading body language expert Darren Stanton has told Action Network.
While Inter Miami CF languishes near the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference, Beckham’s charges already have one piece of silverware under their belts, after Miami won the Leagues Cup 2023 title in dramatic fashion over Nashville. In the past, Beckham might have been out front and center: but after the title, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star was happy to allow his new star, Lionel Messi, take the spotlight.
The body language expert adds that these gestures are the latest sign of Beckham becoming more confident after his self-conscious past.
David Beckham interacts with Inter Miami star Lionel Messi following the victory in the Leagues Cup final: https://twitter.com/
Beckham is showing he’s humble and down to earth with his body language
“He’s very humble and down to earth, authentic and very happy,” Stanton said. “He’s displaying a submissive gesture when he leans down to hug Messi. People tend to lower their height when they’re trying to show respect or make themselves more humble. One of the key things that has been reported about Beckham is that despite his wealth and his position he is a very humble man. That gesture is one of submission and trying to come over as humble. Celebrities and politicians tend to put their hands on their hips and spread their hands apart to take up more space, and say ‘I’m the most important person in the room’. When someone uses submissive gestures they are trying to minimize their presence and don’t want the attention to be all on them, they’re happy for it to be on other people and we see that from Beckham.
“The hug is a genuine form of happiness as his fingers are wrapped around the person, sometimes we see a false hug, where even though they are hugging their hands are extended outwards and it’s a sign of a hug for pretending purposes. Overall, I think what you see is what you get with him, he’s genuinely authentic and happy to be there and he’s elated and really happy.”
Beckham’s body language shows he’s become more confident after self-conscious past
“I think he’s evolved quite a lot as a personality over the years,” Stanton said. “He was massively introverted when he first started dating Victoria and I think he’s developed his levels of confidence and his ability to speak publicly, as he traditionally wasn’t that confident.
“We see him being his authentic self with a genuine smile that is displayed by the crow’s feet at the side of his face. His eyes are wide and there are images of him waving his hands up in the air, all of which tells me that he’s very comfortable in his own skin. He has developed this level of confidence over the years. He used to be self-conscious about how he came across in older interviews, but now comes over as totally authentic.”
Beckham might have another chance to show how extroverted he is on September 27, as Inter Miami CF hosts Houston in the final of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. It could be two pieces of silverware from two for Messi since his arrival, and another addition to Beckham’s–and Messi’s–ever-growing trophy cases.
