David Beckham falls fabulously, flashes hanzi tattoo in China

By Nardine Saad

March 25, 2013 12 AM PT

David Beckham fell on his enviously sculpted bottom over the weekend after showing off some of his “Bend It Like Beckham” moves in China.

The British soccer star, who recently left the L.A. Galaxy for the Paris-St. Germain football club, was visiting the country to promote his sport. He has been named China’s first international ambassador and was invited by the China Football Association for a five-day trip.

On Saturday, Beckham was demonstrating a kick to the Wuhan Zall Football Club while he was dressed to the nines — suit, tie and dress shoes. And, well, there’s a reason players wear cleats on the field instead of their Sunday best.

VIDEO: David Beckham’s steamy H&M; ad

Beckham removed his jacket to demonstrate the kick, but he appeared to lose his footing and fell on his rear. It isn’t that unusual for soccer players to spill over like that, but his being dressed up makes us giggle. Photographers snapped a bunch of photos of the spill, but, like a true pro, he got right back up and laughed it off. Way to show ‘em, Becks. Here’s an animated .gif of the tumble.

“It’s been great so far, you know, I’ve met a lot of great people, a lot of great fans,” he told E! News of his trip. “And it’s very positive so I’ve been excited since I’ve been here.” Watch the video above.

During a visit to Peking University the next day, he lifted his shirt to show off his hanzi, or Chinese characters, tattoo, which trails up his highly defined abs. The script translates to “Death and life have determined appointments. Riches and honor depend upon heaven.” But the ink isn’t new, nor did he get it on this trip. Beckham had the proverb etched up his side as early as 2008.

VIDEO: David Beckham’s steamy H&M; ad

The flash of skin gave fans the opportunity to thoroughly inspect his torso for bruises after his fall. There don’t seem to be any, but we’d say Mr. Posh Spice is definitely raising awareness of something, if not soccer.

Soccer’s reputation has been somewhat tarnished in China because of a match-fixing scandal revealed in 2010 that resulted in players, refs and officials being jailed. The Asian country also did not qualify for the 2006 or 2010 World Cups and has already been eliminated in the early stages of qualifying for the 2014 championship tournament in Brazil.

“I’m not a politician, so anything that has gone on in the past has nothing to do with me,” Beckham told Hello UK. “It’s as simple as that. I am not here to clear up anything. I am here to educate the children and give them a chance of becoming professional footballers.”

And he did just that with this fortune cookie-worthy statement that he gave at Peking University.

“Just live your dreams, work hard,” he told the crowd. “Have as much dedication as you can in life.”

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