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Hard work, sacrifice and focus can pay off – especially, if you love what you do.

That was the message from David Beckham, the legendary soccer player and now entrepreneur. Beckham spoke at a Long Island Association luncheon before a group of about 700 people business leaders as well as the members of five local youth soccer leagues.

Beckham’s message applies to entrepreneurs and young athletes alike.

“To reach a certain level and to obviously play the game that you love at the highest level, it takes sacrifice and dedication and hard work but also you have to enjoy it,” Beckham said. “Unless you’re enjoying, don’t do it because at the end of the day you have to enjoy what you do.”

All he cared about to get to that level was becoming a “professional footballer,” Beckham said.

Once that highest level is achieved, focus and hard work remain essential in order to lead, he said.

“You have to work hard. You know Lionel Messi?” Beckham was referring to the soccer icon now playing for Inter Miami, an MLS team that Beckham co-owns.

“He’s the first person in training, and he is the first person out of training,” Beckham said. “He is 36 years old. He’s won every major tournament and trophy that you can. But he’s still the hardest working. He’s still the most dedicated … That tells you how much work it takes. But he still also has a lot of fun doing it. So that’s the most important thing. You have to enjoy it. You have to work hard.”

The luncheon featured a Q&A chat in which Beckham was interviewed by Matt Cohen, LIA’s president and CEO.

“It was fascinating to hear how hard David Beckham worked — and still does — to achieve his success,” Cohen told LIBN. “He was truly genuine and spoke from the heart to Long Island’s business community and the young soccer players in the room. He was engaging, humble, interesting, and inspirational.”

In Beckham’s 20-year soccer career, he played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, LA Galaxy, Paris Saint-Germain. After retiring from the sport in 2013, he worked with such brands and  Adidas, Diageo, H&M, L’Oreal, Tudor and Sands.

Sands, which is seeking to build a casino at the Nassau Hub, was the luncheon’s presenting sponsor. There was no speakers fee for Beckham’s appearance at the luncheon, according to the LIA. The LIA said that in lieu of a speakers fee, it would be making a donation to a soccer-related cause in the near future.

In March Beckham was at a youth soccer event in Uniondale as part of Sands Youth Empowerment Initiative. And last week,  he was at JC Penney at Roosevelt Field to promote a fragrance line.

“So you’ve been here three times in just about a year,” Cohen said. “Do you want to move here?”

“You never know,” Beckham said. “You’d have to speak with my wife.”