David Beckham joined his Class of ‘92 teammates as a co-owner of fifth-tier club Salford City, buying a 10% share of the club "which is seeking to reach the Football League next season," according to Matt Dickinson of the LONDON TIMES. The former England captain was not "part of the original quintet" of ex-ManU players -- Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers, Gary and Phil -- who invested into the club in '14. Beckham's "time and energy had gone into building his MLS side," Inter Miami. But Beckham has taken 10% like the others, making the CO92 group majority shareholders with Peter Lim, the Singapore tycoon and owner of La Liga side Valencia, "still the single largest shareholder" with the remaining 40%. Beckham said, "It's a proud moment for me to join Peter Lim and the Class of '92 lads as an owner of Salford City FC. My early years in Manchester were all spent in Salford. I grew up there in many ways so to be able to finally join the lads and the club today is a great feeling" (LONDON TIMES, 1/23). In London, James Ducker reported Salford City is currently third in the National League, and is "targeting promotion" to League Two at the first attempt after securing three promotions in just four seasons following the takeover by Lim and the Class of '92 in '14. Their "ultimate ambition" is to take the club into the Premier League. Speaking as a collective, Beckham's Class of '92 colleagues said that the former ManU midfielder's involvement in Salford was "what they had always intended and hoped for." They said, "From the very beginning we wanted David to be involved and be with us on this incredible journey, however circumstances and commitments didn't allow that. Now the time is right and is another exciting time in Salford City's history" (TELEGRAPH, 1/23). The BBC reported the FA still needs to approve Beckham's ownership before it is made official and Gary Neville said that Beckham will attend a Salford City game in the "next two or three weeks" (BBC, 1/23).
