SINGAPORE – Former Real Madrid and Manchester United superstar David Beckham made an appearance in Singapore today in a by-invitation-only event held at Marina Bay Sands.

Several fans turned up to catch a glimpse of him at the Art and Science museum following rumours on Twitter but were left disappointed after he only made a very brief appearance at one of the ballrooms in the convention centre.

Beckham was in town to help raise money for charity via the Marina Bay Sands’ Art of Shopping initiative, where the integrated resort’s retailers contribute items to be auctioned off for charity. Beckham’s contribution to the cause was an autographed shirt of the last club he played for – French champions Paris St Germain. He also took pictures with students from the Guardian Academy – a sports specialist school - and the Singapore School for the Deaf.

“I’ve always had a very good relationship with working with children,” Beckham said. “It’s very inspiring to see children play football or play sports which is one of the reasons why I’m here and one of the reasons why I’ve visit certain parts of China as the ambassador for the Chinese Super League. Hopefully the signed shirt raises a lot of money. I think that the initiative that Sands are taking to raise money is a great thing and I’m very proud to be part of it.”

Nur Shahidah, a student from the Singapore School for the Deaf, said through a sign-language interpreter: “I was sad when I heard he was retiring from playing football as I think he still has a good few years left in him. But I’m very happy I got the chance to meet him.”