David Beckham, the storied midfielder who rose to international fame because of his style on and off the pitch, played his last home game for Paris Saint-Germain last night.
As the AP reports, despite being used to the lights and the big stage, Beckham, who announced his retirement from soccer last week, was finally overwhelmed.
As he walked off the field at the 81st minute, fans — including former French President Nicolas Sarkozy — chanted his name and Beckham showed emotion.
"I want to say thank you to everybody in Paris, to my team-mates, to the staff, to the fans," Beckham said at the end of the game, according to Australia's ABC. "To finish my career here could not be any more special... I want to enjoy my family now; I have all the souvenirs I want now so I'm very, very happy. Merci Paris. I'm very sad to be leaving but thank you."
Canal+ has a bit of video of the moment:
NBC Sports reports that this match may very well be Beckham's last.
"It's up to the coach, but I think that will be David's last match," PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi told NBC News.
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