David Beckham Welcomes Luis Figo's FIFA Presidential Bid to unseat Sepp Blatter

London - David Beckham has welcomed former Real Madrid teammate Portuguese Luis Figo''s bid to unseat Sepp Blatter as FIFA president, saying world football's governing body needs candidates "passionate about the game." Figo 42, is the only former player standing in May's election, which also features FIFA vice president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein and Dutch football association chairman Michael van Praag.

Figo played at clubs including Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan during his career and won the Ballon d'Or in 2000 as well as the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2001.

Ahead of Figo's manifesto launch on Thursday, former England captain Beckham said in a statement: "I welcome the candidacy of my friend Luis for FIFA president.

"Any successful organization needs to have good people who are passionate about the game and want to do the best for fans."