Beckham became the top trending topic on Twitter in the UK this morning with over 20,000 tweets discussing the footballer's decision.
"I played my best years at my boyhood club, Manchester United. I grew up with a core group of young British players that included Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers. Added to that was an experienced group of older British players such as Gary Pallister, Steve Bruce and Paul Ince," he said in a statement .
"Now that team might have gone on to win trophies but we were a better and more successful team because of a Danish goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel, the leadership of an Irishman Roy Keane and the skill of a Frenchman in Eric Cantona."
Beckham also looked back favourably on his time at Real Madrid, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, saying it was a privilege to play in Europe and thanking fans for allowing his family to experience "unique and inspiring cultures and people".
The footballer joins a list of prominent names asking the UK public to vote to remain in the EU, including Prime Minister David Cameron, Virgin chief Sir Richard Branson, Premier League boss Richard Scudamore as well as actors Keira Knightley, Sir Patrick Stewart and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Earlier today M&C Saatchi launched the Stronger In campaign's last outdoor poster, which warns the public that "there is no going back" if the UK votes to leave the EU on Thursday.
A version of this story first appeared on .
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