Soccer superstar David Beckham has become the latest athlete to be enshrined in the Los Angeles landscape with his own statue. But before his official sculpture was unveiled, his good friend and comedian James Corden decided to prank Beckham by passing off an ugly, fake statue as the finished product.
On Monday night's episode of the Late Late Show With James Corden, viewers got to experience every detail of an elaborate prank that reportedly took two months to put together. For this trick, Corden and his crew pieced together a mock presentation ceremony where Beckham believed he would get to see his finished statue before it is placed in the ground at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson. CA. Yet, what Beckham didn't know is that everyone including the "sculptor" are paid actors and comedians.
Eventually, the fake statue was revealed and Beckham was not pleased. In fact, he starts to discuss with the "sculptor" on ways to fix the piece before other people see it.
"There's no way that can go in front of the stadium," Beckham tells the comedian posed as the sculptor. "My parents are coming over from London. My wife—I mean look how long my arms are? I honestly look like Stretch Armstrong."
Much to Beckham's relief, Corden finally lets him in on the joke but not before Beckham thanks a forklift driver for breaking the fake statue into pieces.
Corden's statue was a realization of all of Beckham's fears. Prior to his real monument being erected, other soccer icons like Brandi Chastain, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mo Salah have had been subjected to some less than flattering commemorative pieces. However, on March 2, Beckham's real statue was put into the ground, evading the mishaps of his predecessors.
The first of its kind in Major League Soccer.#BeckhamStatue pic.twitter.com/oKTBUtVaUN
