David Beckham statue prank from James Corden is a must watch

The Late Late Show put on one of the greatest pranks in late night with David Beckham as James Corden’s victim.

There are few honors greater for an athlete than to be immortalized in a statue. It is something reserved for only the best players in a team’s history who have made a significant impact. As it turns out, it also makes for the perfect prank setup as proven by James Corden and David Beckham.

David Beckham is set to be honored by the L.A. Galaxy of MLS. He appeared in 98 games for Galaxy between 2007-2012, helping the team win the MLS Cup in 2011 and significantly raising the profile and prestige of MLS in the process.

His contributions on and off the field certainly qualify Beckham for statue status. Even with his playing days over, he remains one of the most popular players in the world and has a special spot in the hearts and minds of Galaxy fans in Los Angeles.

Beckham also happens to be close with James Corden, making him the perfect late night host to pull a prank on the England legend.  Beckham has been on The Late Late Show many times and filmed some pretty hilarious videos with Corden. But nothing may top the statue prank that Corden pulled off on last night’s show:

Usually when it comes to late night pranks, Jimmy Kimmel leads the way. Whether he is pranking family members, Fortnite players, or celebrity friends, he typically sets the standard for pranks. But James Corden may have put himself in the conversation as the best in late night with this one on Beckham.

The fake statue put together by The Late Late Show has some clear inspiration from the Cristiano Ronald bust that went viral. At least that was just his face. Beckham’s took some liberties not only with his chin and eyes but his arms and backside as well. No wonder Beckham wanted to keep his kids away from it.

Corden’s prank is even better because of the small personal touches he adds. The statue alone would make for a nice joke. But knowing Beckham, Corden is able to coach up the actors to confuse the Manchester United legend as playing for Manchester City and also get them to call him “Dave.” It’s impressive that Beckham is able to keep his cool for so long especially considering it wasn’t in front of a huge audience.

The actual statue that was unveiled before the Galaxy’s 2019 home opener was much more accurate to Beckham’s famous looks. Hopefully Corden let Beckham keep the head of the prank statue, though.

James Corden has now shown that he needs to be taken seriously as a prank artist. The British comedian certainly has plenty of famous friends. They’ll no doubt be extra aware at their next award ceremony or special event in case Corden looks to follow up on his David Beckham prank. We’ll be watching, too!