Paris Saint-Germain midfielder David Beckham broke down in tears as he left the pitch after his final game at home - Parc des Princes - on Saturday.
The 38-year-old former England captain announced on Thursday that he would retire from professional football at the end of the season. He will hang up his boots as a winner having won Ligue 1 with PSG earlier this month.
Beckham may be just a few months old in PSG but he was given a good send off, making him the captain of the club for the first time for his final match against Brest which they won 3-1.
As he left the pitch after coach Carlo Ancelotti substituted him in the 81st minute, team-mates gathered to hug him even as he was fighting back teams. The crowd chanted his name and gave him a standing ovation. He responded by applauding to the supporters and blowing a kiss towards the stand where his wife Victoria and children were seated.
Making the final appearance even more special, he was tossed by his team-mates after the game. He also proudly lifted the Ligue 1 trophy.
"I want to say thank you to everybody in Paris. To my teammates, to the staff, to the fans," The Telegraph quoted Beckham as saying after the game. "It's been very special to finish my career here. It could not have been any more special."
"I just feel that it's the right time. I feel that I've achieved everything that I could in my career. I wanted to go out as a champion. I've finished my career in a team that has treated me like I've been here for 10 years."
"The emotion started kicking in, it was hard to run, let alone kick a ball. I still feel good, but I know it's the right time [to retire]," BBC quoted him as saying after the game.
David Beckham didn't confirm if he would feature in the last game of the season against Lorient on 26 May but it is very unlikely as coach Carlo Ancelotti hinted that it could be his farewell game.
"We have to decide, but I don't think he will play. He will come with the team but I don't think he will play...a plastic pitch is difficult for a 38-year-old," The Telegraph quoted Ancelotti as saying.
"He will miss the world of football because he showed a good image every time, really professional. It was a fantastic evening for him. He will have a very good memory of this night," he added.
After helping PSG win the league title earlier this month, Beckham became the first English player to win championship titles in four countries - England (Manchester United), Spain (Real Madrid), U.S. (Los Angeles Galaxy), and France (PSG).
He has made 115 international appearances in his illustrious career spanning 20 years. He played with several clubs like Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain but spent most time with Manchester United where he made 342 appearances and scored 76 goals.
Sir Alex Ferguson, who will end his 27-year stint as the manager of Manchester United after the West Bromwich Albion game on Sunday (19 May), is all praise for the former England captain.
"He's had a great career, David, and it's amazing how he has from every sort of different way reinvented himself. Going to America, many thought it was the end of his career but he came back played for England, Milan and PSG," he told reporters, paying tribute to the former England captain who has decided to hang up his boots by the end of this season.
"The one thing he always had was fantastic stamina. As a young boy, he had the best stamina in the club. All the figures in terms of endurance that we used to do, he was always ahead of everyone else," he added.
