With a title from the French league in the bag and tears on his face, David Beckham finally said goodbye to professional soccer after 22 years of glittering career. Last week, Beckham announced his retirement from soccer at the age of 38. FIFA president Sepp Blatter described Beckham last week as “one of the most iconic figures in global football” and his retirement as “the end of a chapter of an amazing story”. In short, it’s the end of an era.