YOU’d be forgiven for thinking that most footballers players share little, if anything, in common with referees other than a love for the game.
But Rangers hero Kris Boyd and new SFA refs’ chief Willie Collum do in fact have one rather unique thing in common.
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And no, before anyone cracks the jokes – it’s nothing to do with the football team they support.
Instead, it actually involves one of England‘s most famous ever players.
That man being ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar David Beckham.
The former Three Lions skipper had a glittering playing career and has now settled into life as the president and co-owner of Inter Miami and Salford City.
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But it was one of his somewhat lesser-celebrated stints that led to his meeting with Collum.
The Scots whistler was picked to officiate a friendly match between Rangers and AC Milan, with Beckham turning out for the latter.
Becks had two loan spells with the Rossoneri in 2009 and 2010.
They met Rangers in a friendly in February 2009, the match ending in a 2-2 draw.
The Milan team included household names such Andrea Pirlo, Ronaldinho and Andriy Shevchenko in the starting XI – and a certain Kaka on the bench – with Boyd among the subs for Gers.
But of them all it was Beckham who gave Collum the most grief on the pitch.
However, after he had blown the full-time whistle, it was forgotten.
Speaking in an appearance on the Warm-Up Podcast along Boyd, Collum said: “Beckham gave me a really hard time in a friendly one night, Rangers v AC Milan.
“So, my claim to fame is Beckham gave me a hard time, but he came in at the end to apologise and gave me his top.”
After hearing this story, Boyd recounted his own experience that led to a personalised message from Golden Balls.
He revealed: “That’s us both got something in common with Beckham!
“I have a strip I got signed in America.”
However, Boyd’s jersey – which he picked up during his time playing for Portland Timbers in MLS in 2012 – has a rather unfortunate defect.
Boyd asked former Tottenham and Celtic star Robbie Keane, who by then was playing alongside Becks with LA Galaxy, to sign the top.
The England hero duly obliged but made a rather obvious, if only small, mistake.
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Boyd recalled: “I asked Robbie Keane if he’d get it signed.
“So, he disappears with it, comes back: ‘To Chris, all the best, David Beckham. ‘Kris’, spelt ‘C H R’… I just thought, fair play.”
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