Tale of the tape: Odell Beckham Jr. vs. David Beckham. Who ya got?
Is this town big enough for the two biggest Beckhams the sports world has ever seen?
The Dolphins announced the signing of receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Wednesday. Suddenly, a mere 20 miles separate OBJ’s new stomping grounds from that of Inter Miami, whose part owner is David Beckham.
No, they’re not related, a fact that would seem obvious to all but those who have searched online to determine if they are.
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Even though they don’t share family bloodlines, they do share commonalities as well as notable differences.
In case you’re wondering, there is a connection between the two. Odell has said his first love was soccer and that he didn’t pursue a career in the sport because he didn’t want to head overseas. Odell and David met in 2015, posting photos. Odell said he acted “like a little kid again” during the meeting.
“I got to meet one of my childhood idols since I could ever remember, and a guy who I watched probably since I was 4 or 5 years old, David Beckham,” Odell said at the time. “It was a pretty surreal moment for me, meeting a guy who I’ve clowned about being a relative of all this time.”
David offered a piece of advice: “He just told me, ‘You have to keep the legacy going,’ ” Odell said.
All of which calls for a tale of the tape.
Grew up watching this guy. Mad respect to David Beckham... #tbt #beckhamroyalty pic.twitter.com/jEv86WFSHQ
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) April 16, 2015
Notable teams
David: Manchester United, Real Madrid, L.A. Galaxy
Odell: LSU, New York Giants, L.A. Rams, Dolphins
Edge: Giants are historic franchise but can’t compete with Man United and Madrid.
Championships
David: Six Premier League titles (including treble in 1998-99), La Liga, Spanish Super Cup, two MLS Cups
Odell: Super Bowl with 2021 Rams
Edge: David.
Hair
David: You never know
Odell: You never know
Edge: You never know.
Nickname
David: Becks
Odell: OBJ
Edge: Anyone known by just initials earns points for cool (JFK, LBJ, FDR, MLK, OJ). Wait. Scrap that last one.
Signature sports feat
David: Wicked free kicks
Odell: Wicked one-handed catches
Edge: Even. Hate to wimp out, but both are jaw-droppers.
Pop culture
David: Inspired film “Bend it Like Beckham”
Odell: TV movie “Catching Odell”
Edge: Chances are you’ve heard of only one of these two.
Video game cover
David: FIFA 98
Odell: Madden in 2015
Edge: Boom! Madden.
Fast friends and associates
David: Lionel Messi, Victoria Beckham, Eva Longoria, Oprah, James Corden, Odell Beckham
Odell: Beyonce, Drake, LeBron James, James Corden, David Beckham
Edge: David not only hangs with Messi, he signed the guy.
Tattoos
David: Men’s Health reported he had at least 67 tattoos, and probably more like 80, as of three years ago.
Odell: Reportedly has 80-plus, including the likenesses of Martin Luther King Jr. and Kobe Bryant.
Edge: Can’t pick one. We’re out of ink.
Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tale of the tape: Odell Beckham Jr. vs. David Beckham. Who ya got?