Premier League legend Claude Makelele judging Miss Universe
Former professional footballer Claude Makelele is on the judging panel for Miss Universe.
Premier League star Claude Makelele is serving as a judge on Miss Universe.
The former Chelsea F.C. midfielder wants to be on the panel in Thailand for the beauty pageant on November 21 because he "loves to see beautiful women".
Claude told the Daily Star newspaper: "I think in life you need to have many experiences, and my people who work with me presented me with this kind of opportunity.
"So why not? We all come from ladies, we were born from ladies. We also have a family, we have a wife, and we have a girlfriend.
"Yes, the women in general are beautiful women. We love to see beautiful women, it's normal.
"It will be my first experience, so I thought, why not?"
Meanwhile, Claude hopes to get back into management, following his role as head coach at Asteras Tripolis in 2024, which he quit due to issues with club management.
The football ace - who has also had coaching jobs with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Swansea City A.F.C., and Chelsea F.C. - recently told The Sun: "I’ll take my time. I love to help young boys dream, because sometimes players dream and don’t believe in themselves.
"I have a talent for seeing something in young players, many managers don’t have time to give young boys. They need understanding and listening to.
"I’m thinking about it. One day, I will come back and manage a team again."
Claude terminated his one-year deal with Greek team Asteras Tripolis in mid-September 2024 because of being told what to do by the club's chiefs.
In 2024, he told LondonWorld: "I love the job, but I can’t accept when people interfere and tell me what I can or cannot do.
"They promised me full control of the team. It was (supposed to be) my decision who played or didn’t play."
Enough was enough for the ex-Real Madrid star when club chiefs got involved with his selection for his last match in charge - a 3-1 win over Athens Kallithea.
Claude said: "In the last game, they insisted a key player [Darnell Eric Bile] should be benched.
"The player has a small amateur salary, but he’s the best player in the team. I brought him on for just 20 minutes – he got two assists, and we won the game.
"But they didn’t want him (to play). They thought they could control whether he plays because he hadn’t signed a (new) contract. I used him because of his quality."
