The last of the celebratory honking and cheering lingers in the air as World Cup fever comes to an end. As soccer fans begin the four-year wait for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, some of the stars we have watched on the international soccer stage can take some time off to explore life beyond the realm of their professional sporting careers.

One such star—David Beckham—recently traveled to Sierra Leone to see some of the work he had been supporting through UNICEF over the years. The trip to Sierra Leone turned out to be one of the most rewarding and satisfying experiences of his life.

The English soccer star set out to visit some of the UNICEF clinics and programs in the country, which are largely focused on child survival. The sad reality: 27% of children in Sierra Leone die before reaching their fifth birthday, the highest percentage anywhere in the world. Although some of his peers worried about his safety there, Beckham was determined to see where his dollars were being directed and how those dollars were making a difference in one of the most dire situations on the planet.

Beckham visited various clinics and houses with a community health nurse and was even able to administer vaccinations to children himself. Despite the poverty, disease and other issues faced by so many in the country, Beckham felt hopeful for the future of the children in Sierra Leone. “UNICEF’s work was going on and that meant there was hope,” he said. “And, you know, football can be a little part of that.” As an obvious soccer fan, however, Beckham seemed to underestimate the profound impact his beloved sport held on the lives of so many people around the world.

It was during a visit to Makeni in the Northern Province that Beckham began playing soccer with a group of children. “Playing football makes those children happy in Sierra Leone just like it makes our kids happy back at home,” he said. “I think they were excited to see me. But I think they were even more excited about getting a real ball. They were amazed by it but, as soon as I handed it over, they were straight into playing a game: they ran off and forgot all about me.”

On a ride home from one of his visits to the town of Aberdeen, Beckham developed a deeper understanding of what is embedded in the game of soccer. Passing by a dusty field overrun with soccer players, Beckham ordered his driver to pull over. “I’m going for a game of football,” he declared.

He played for close to half an hour, and while he and the players on the field in Aberdeen didn’t know each other and lived very different lives, there was something that connected them. “Even though you may not speak the same language as your teammate—and you may have been brought up in completely different backgrounds—when you’re playing football together you understand each other perfectly.”

– Emma Colucci is an intern with Athletes for Africa this summer. She recently completed her master’s at Ryerson University and played varsity soccer at Concordia as an undergraduate. You can email her here or leave a comment below.