NZ PM calls football star Beckham thick as

HE played in the country, for a fee admittedly, but does he deserve this? 

New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key has called soccer superstar David Beckham "thick as batsh*t".

According to Radio New Zealand, Key slammed Beckham, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and now Los Angeles Galaxy superstar, for not being too bright.

He told students that his own son had spent 45 minutes with the former England skipper when he played an exhibition match for LA Galaxy in Auckland in 2008, which cost more than $2 million.

Key said Beckham, 37, was good looking and a nice guy to have spent that long with his son, but is said to have joked he was “thick as bat sh*t”.

Key made the stinging remarks about "Golden Balls" in the city of Dunedin yesterday.

The Prime Minister's office said it had no comment to make on the matter.

But this isn't the first time Beckham's brainpower has been called into question.

The Sun reported Beckham as previously saying: "My parents have been there for me, ever since I was about seven."

And when asked another time whether he was a volatile player, he said: "Well, I can play in the centre, on the right, and occasionally on the left side."

Speaking on faith, Beckham said: "We're definitely going to get Brooklyn christened but we don't know into which religion."

His wife Victoria told him in a 2000 telly documentary: "You make yourself sound stupid and you're not."
Beckham and his wife, 38, a former singer in The Spice Girls, have amassed an estimated fortune of $248 million between them.

news.com.au 3 Nov 2012

In certain sporting disciplines (for example football or soccer as known in Australia, Australia's own AFL), it is a well known fact that the sports 'heros' are there for their sporting abilities, and not their mental prowess.

It is not uncommon to pursue a career in sport  if one does not have any academic abilities.

Politicians as well as the business community are aware of the mental limitations of sports stars, and commonly jest at their lack of intelligence, but usually behind closed doors.

Sporting legends are glorified by the corporate media as they are cash cows that rake in millions for the corporate giants.

The Prime Minister of New Zealand grilled for stating one of life's many truths.