The Beckham brand is one of the most famous and instantly recognizable in the world. Fronted by David Beckham and his wife Victoria, the Kardashians aside, the A-list couple and their four children are perhaps the most renowned and self-made family on the planet. David and Victoria, a former Spice Girl, both transcended their respective worlds of football (or soccer, as us Yanks put it) and music during the 1990s, forming a global power couple aptly nicknamed “Posh and Becks.”
Beckham’s ability on the field of play carried such significance that one of thebest movies about soccerever made is the 2002 filmBend It Like Beckham,and he even has a cameo appearance in 2005’sGoal!and in Guy Ritchie’s 2017 flickKing Arthur: Legend of the Sword, although his performances certainly didn’t warrant being placed among thebest sports star cameos in movies.
Reflecting on their time in the limelight at the absolute height of their fame, the married couple, along with several influential figures in David’s life, speak openly about the trials, tribulations, and controversies of their relationship and of David’s professional life as a footballer in Netflix’s original docuseriesBeckham. With a number of exclusive revelations in the documentary, let’s take a look at the 10 standout takeaways we learned from the series.
Keeping His Feet on the Ground Was Difficult
While Beckham attested otherwise in the series of documentary interviews, Sir Alex Ferguson claimed that it was difficult to keep David’s feet on the ground as far as the cult of celebrity and mega stardom was concerned. Ferguson stated:
“Getting the attention and becoming a celebrity was different to what I wanted… Getting David to keep his feet on the ground became more difficult.”
The fame went to Beckham’s head in some ways, which is understandable after he shot to stardom in the football world by scoring an incredible goal from the halfway line against Wimbledon in 1996.
The Famous Flying Football Boot Incident
One of the biggest footballing scandals at the time was the notorious altercation Beckham had with his boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, in the dressing room after a defeat against Arsenal. This event gripped headlines, and was the primary catalyst for the breakdown in the relationship between “Fergie” and Beckham. In the dressing room, an irate Ferguson confronted Beckham for what he believed was a poor performance, launching a tirade of abuse at his player.
In what he believed to be unfair and unwarranted criticism, Beckham retorted, prompting an enraged Ferguson to kick out at a pile of clothes lying on the changing room floor. As such, a football boot unexpectedly flew up and caught David above the eye. All parties involved in the incident confirmed in the documentary that it was a freak accident and harm was clearly not intended by the United gaffer.
Ferguson Refused to Speak to Beckham before Selling Him
Since the age of 16, the insular world of Manchester United was all Beckham knew for 12 years. He had made his home, built a career, and started a family in North West England — his entire life was Man United. So when it came to essentially being forced out of the club he knew and loved, he was naturally aggrieved.
The news broke out that Manchester United had accepted a bid from Spanish giants, Real Madrid. Hurt and angry about the club’s decision to sell him without his input, Beckham attempted to reach his Scottish manager over the phone to plead with him not to sell him, but he was told in no uncertain terms that Ferguson didn’t wish to speak with him, ending his chapter at England’s most prodigious team somewhat bitterly.
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Zidane Told Beckham to Join Madrid
Zinedine Zidane, or“Zizou” as he’s affectionately known, remains one of the greatest footballers of all time. During his pomp at Real Madrid, the French World Cup winner and David Beckham came face-to-face in a Champions League showdown. Despite Beckham being on the losing side, his performance was notable enough for Zidane to approach him after the game and say “You come to Madrid” [sic]. Beckham would later say that he loved this moment, and was motivated to make the transition.
Beckham Initially Felt Lonely in Madrid
Moving away from home can sometimes prove be a traumatic experience, so when that requires not just a change of town or city, but a complete change of country, understandably, one may be inclined to feel unsettled, especially when being introduced to a whole new language, culture, and way of life. David Beckham’s transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid saw him move away from England for the first time. The pain of leaving Victoria and his two sons Brooklyn and Romeo back in the UK left the player, by his own admission,lonely and homesick.
Beckham Makes His Own Honey
Following retirement from professional sports, many athletes may elect to land a job in punditry, sports commentary, or simply sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor — not in David Beckham’s case. The inked-up, 115-cap England international enjoys a more wholesome form of leisure. His luxury countryside manor plays host to a small bee farm, where the ex-footballer will often go out and harvest his own honey. According to Beckham, the ongoing argument in the famous household is what to name the honey, with David preferring “Golden Bees” and Victoria favoring “DB’s Sticky Stuff”.
Watch the Trailer here:Beckham
“Stage Managed” Stitches, Claims Ferguson
Following the infamous boot-gate incident, David Beckham had purportedly sustained a small graze on his eyebrow. However, when his picture was captured by the paparazzi in the days following, this small cut appeared to be much bigger than first reported, with two stitches over the midfielder’s right eye and remnants of blood still on his eyebrow. Speaking to Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, the forthright Scotsman claimed that the injury was “stage-managed,” as it “wasn’t even worth a stitch.”
“I never got on with him” - David Beckham and Carlos Queiroz
As with all walks of life, personality clashes, disagreements, and friction are common. Unsurprisingly, in a such ahighly-charged and fiercely competitive environmentlike a professional soccer team, there were disputes, even for the relatively cool-tempered David Beckham. While in many instances the player and his family’s major nemesis was the tabloid press, the former England captain also had struggles internally at Manchester United and with Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz. The pair’s professional relationship was reportedly tenuous when the Queiroz arrived in Manchester to assist Ferguson. Queiroz’s schoolmaster-like approach was cited as a primary reason many players on the Red Devils’ roster didn’t take to him. In the docuseries, Beckham reveals how he “never got on with him” when asked about his former coach.
Beckham’s OCD
Beckham spoke candidly about suffering with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and his scrupulousness when it came to cleaning and straightening up. From spending hours cleaning the kitchen and having his entire wardrobe organized into carefully curated sections, to hanging up the coming week’s outfits, the 48-year-old described his particular case of OCD as “tiring.”
Victoria’s Struggles in Their Marriage
The former Spice Girl features heavily in the docuseries, and discusses a number of sensitive personal issues that she had experienced in their marriage. Posh Spice recollected her feelings of hurt and begrudgingly leaving England for Madrid to support her husband, despite having a settled family life in the UK. Victoria goes as far as describing how she “resented” David for dragging her and their young family around with him, stating it was “the unhappiest I’ve ever been in my life.”
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