The Tragic Truth About David Beckham
Take a look at David Beckham, and you might think he has it all. The ex-Manchester United star is one of the world's most famous and recognizable soccer players, and he's managed to parlay his on-the-field success into a lucrative second act. Beckham is a co-owner of Inter Miami FC, and he brought the club national acclaim after masterminding the transfer of Lionel Messi to America in 2023. Beckham is a philanthropist and UNICEF ambassador – and he's made a lot of money for himself through his brand deals, working with everyone from Adidas and Samsung to Burger King.
But the former soccer star has also dealt with his fair share of tragedy. As chronicled in the 2023 Netflix documentary "Beckham," Becks found it hard to deal with life in the spotlight. His red card in the 1998 World Cup made him one of the most hated men in the country at the time. The national anger reached such a fever pitch that Beckham feared for both his and his family's safety. Then, there was Beckham's falling out with longtime Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson, whom he looked up to as a father figure. Fame and fortune aside, the 2000s were a tough time for England's No. 7.
How David Beckham saw red
The British take their tea and soccer very seriously, as David Beckham revealed in his eponymous documentary. Back in 1998, the midfielder was one of the country's rising stars, so all of England felt he had personally let them down in the World Cup round against Argentina. Per GQ, Becks was red-carded when Argentine midfielder Diego Simeone provoked him into lashing out. England went on to lose in penalty shootouts after playing a man down, and the England soccer star was candid about the fallout from the match.
"To walk down the street and see people look at you in a certain way, spit at you, abuse you, come up to your face and say some of the things that they said ... That's difficult," David recalled. "The whole country hated me."
The player called the red card incident, "a stupid mistake [that] changed my life." He added, "It brought a lot of attention that I would never wish on anyone." David eventually redeemed himself in the eyes of his country by scoring an equalizer against Greece to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, according to TalkSport. "That was the moment that England supporters forgave me for what had happened a few years before," he explained.
Beckham was seriously worried about his son's safety
Back in 1998, David Beckham's career hung in the balance after the Manchester United player received a red card during England's World Cup game. But the British public went bananas about the incident, making the Beckhams fear for their well-being.
Beckham issued an apology shortly after the game, saying (via the BBC), "This is without doubt the worst moment of my career. I will always regret my actions." However, the criticism didn't stop. Media outlets, people on the street, you name it, they all publicly blasted the soccer pro and even threatened his life. The hatred was so strong that someone actually mailed bullets to the Manchester United office.
During this time, Victoria Beckham learned she was pregnant with their first child. When she gave birth to Brooklyn Beckham in March 1999, David was terrified. In his October 2023 Netflix documentary, "Beckham," he recalled coming home from the hospital and fearing for the baby's safety. "That night Brooklyn slept next to Victoria, she said, 'Come sleep on the bed with me,' and I said, 'Absolutely not,'" he recounted (via The Sun). "I slept with my head facing the door, because I was paranoid someone was going to steal him." As Victoria shared, the paranoia was warranted. "We were getting kidnapping threats right from when we had Brooklyn and you can't even explain how that feels because we couldn't hide," she recalled. "Imagine having a baby and having death threats."
He has privately struggled with mental health for years
The unrelenting hate that David Beckham faced after his actions in the 1998 World Cup didn't just leave him fearing for his family's safety. It also took a real toll on his mental health. As the soccer great revealed in his October 2023 Netflix documentary, "Beckham," the backlash had him reeling. "The whole country hated me," he recalled (via Cosmopolitan) "I felt very vulnerable and alone."
Victoria Beckham added she believes he was "absolutely clinically depressed" because of the non-stop bullying, and David himself told The Telegraph that, in retrospect, he agrees. "I wasn't eating, I wasn't sleeping. I was living day to day thinking about what was coming next," he explained. "People were saying I should leave the country — it was tough." However, he never sought help at the time because he was taught to put his head down and keep going. "It's something I would never admit because I was brought up by a dad who, if I said, 'Dad, I'm feeling a bit low today,' he'd have said, 'Boy, get on with it,'" he shared.
David also revealed in 2006 that he has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). He said he had tried to stop his obsessions, like needing everything to be in pairs, but it didn't work. In the documentary, he admitted it's "tiring" and shared (via The Guardian), "When everyone's in bed I then go around, clean the candles, turn the lights on to the right setting, make sure everywhere is tidy."
Beckham's fight with Sir Alex Ferguson
David Beckham's star continued to rise on and off the pitch — thanks to his showbiz connections by way of his wife, Victoria Beckham (aka Posh Spice). But then-Manchester United Head Coach Sir Alex Ferguson was more of a traditional coach who lived and breathed soccer. According to The Athletic, he never approved of "this fashion thing" and dismissed David's brand endorsements and fledgling fashion career. The pair disagreed as David continued to pursue interests beyond soccer, and their relationship worsened. In 2000, David donned a hat to avoid showing Ferguson his shaved head, a moment the coach remembered in his book "My Autobiography." Ferguson wrote, "At that time I was starting to despair of [David]," adding, "I could see him being swallowed up by the media or publicity agents."
It wasn't long before tensions reached a boiling point. In 2003, Ferguson blamed David for Manchester United's 0-2 loss to Arsenal. The midfielder spoke about the locker room incident in "Beckham" (via the Daily Mail), explaining that he "went back at the boss and said 'no' and then I swore. I said the f-word. And then I saw him change, and I was like, 'S***, I really shouldn't have said that.'" In anger, Ferguson allegedly kicked a boot at David's face. The next time David was seen in public, he was sporting a bandage over his eye.
Beckham was forced out of Manchester United
The blowout fight meant that Sir Alex Ferguson wanted David Beckham gone for good. This was understandable; what was hard for Beckham to swallow was the manner in which Ferguson treated him. For example, as he was on the outs, Beckham's coach told him he wouldn't be starting in a Champions League game. Beckham walked away upon hearing the news and was surprised that Ferguson allowed him to do so. "If the gaffer had still cared about me as a person or as a player, we'd have had a [fight] there and then. He wouldn't have let me walk away from him like that," the star player later concluded, as noted by The Athletic.
As detailed in "Beckham," Becks only learned that Manchester United had sold him to another club, Real Madrid, through the media. "I called [Manchester United executive] Peter Kenyon and said, 'Is this true?' and he said 'Yes,'" Beckham said at the time, according to TalkSPORT. "I said, 'Can I speak to the manager?' He said 'No.'"
For Beckham, who called Ferguson "a father figure" and "one of the most important people in [his] life," it was devastating to have his coach ice him out. "It obviously hurt. I couldn't watch [Manchester] United for three years on the TV," he admitted.
Infidelity accusations rocked Beckham's marriage
Rumors of a marriage on the rocks started in 2003 after David Beckham relocated his family to Spain to join his new team, Real Madrid. David was spotted out in Spain at a nightclub with a brunette, later identified as his personal assistant, Rebecca Loos. Shortly afterward, the UK's News of the World newspaper ran a story claiming David had an affair with Loos, who gave a tell-all interview to Sky News in exchange for $600,000.
"I think the chemistry between David and I was so strong, and people were not happy because I was being very unprofessional and he's a married man," Loos said, as noted by the Daily Mail, adding that she and David had slept together. David, for his part, denied all accusations, even as more women came forward claiming they'd been intimate with the soccer star.
It was a difficult time for David and his wife, Victoria Beckham. "I've made it clear that ... the way [my family and I] have been treated is an absolute disgrace," David told BBC Radio 5 Live in 2004 (via The Telegraph). He and Victoria ended up suing the News of the World for defamation. In "Beckham," Victoria noted that this period was "the most unhappy I have ever been in my entire life." She added, "It felt like the world was against us."
Beckham struggled to adjust to the MLS
The Beckham family's move to Spain was a trying time for Victoria Beckham. However, she thrived stateside when David Beckham made a then-unprecedented move to come play for the Los Angeles Galaxy team. The opposite was true for her husband. From the lackluster pitches to a lack of faith in the level of play, David questioned whether he'd made the right decision in coming to America. "[The MLS] wasn't professional like it is now," he told The Times in 2023.
When David spent some time on loan with AC Milan, it left his Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan furious. "Even though it's a s***ty little MLS team that he doesn't really care about ... it meant a lot to me," Donovan explained in the "Beckham" documentary (via the Daily Mail). While David understood Donovan, he didn't appreciate the public criticism. "I don't think [Landon] handled it in the right way. Whatever goes on in the changing room, stays in the changing room," the former England captain said. Therefore, the fact that Donovan and David were eventually able to put their squabbles behind them and win the league remains one of David's proudest accomplishments to date.
Fast forward to the 2020s, and David is continuing to invest in American soccer, this time with Inter Miami. Something tells us that David's not done with the sport just yet.
Beckham was in a scary car crash with his son
David Beckham is no stranger to fender benders. In October 2013, he collided with another vehicle just as he was pulling out of the driveway of his Beverly Hills home. His eldest son, Brooklyn Beckham, was in the car with him at the time, but no one was hurt. Just a year later, though, the pair was involved in another crash — this one much scarier than the first.
In November 2014, David had just watched his son — who was on the Arsenal Under 16 team — play a soccer match and they were leaving Arsenal's training center in London Colney, England. That's when another vehicle hit theirs at full speed. An image of the crash obtained by the BBC showed David's Audi RS6 had its driver's side door smashed in while the other car, a Mitsubishi, was totaled. Debris littered the ground and the car's hood was completely demolished with its front bumper hanging on the ground.
Brooklyn walked away unscathed while his dad was treated at the scene for an injury to his shoulder. "They were shaken," a source told The Telegraph. "It was quite a heavy prang at quite a speed, but everybody walked away uninjured." They reported that "everybody's fine" thanks to the car's airbags deploying as they should.
He was heartbroken over the death of two friends
Kobe Bryant's tragic death in January 2020 shook the sports world, including David Beckham. Becoming worldwide sports sensations at similar times, the pair grew close after Beckham was recruited by the LA Galaxy in 2007. Indeed, he became a staple at Lakers games and quick friends with Bryant, so the loss hit him hard.
In a post remembering Bryant, Beckham praised his skills on the court, as well as his love of family and devotion to giving back. "It's taken me hours to work out what to write and still my words won't ever be enough to describe how I am feeling after the tragic loss of Kobe," he began. "This was one special athlete, husband, father and friend." What's more, he credited Kobe with being a personal inspiration to him. "To go through the pain and to finish a game off like only he could inspired me to try to be better," he mused.
Beckham was similarly shaken up by actor Matthew Perry's death in October 2023. Taking to his Instagram story (via Express), he wrote, "It's just so sad. We'll miss this laugh." In another post, he added, "Heartbreaking. Thank you for all the laughs, Chandler Bing." The pair actually bonded virtually in 2020 after Beckham wore a T-shirt with a still of Chandler and Joey from "Friends." Perry reposted it to Instagram and quipped, "This guy has really good taste. Whoever that is." Beckham quickly responded and did so perfectly, commenting, "Could I be wearing anymore clothes."
Becks has endured non-stop mockery
David Beckham is no stranger to online mockery and while the comments are (mostly) meant to be a lighthearted roasting of the soccer pro, given his traumatic past experiences, the ongoing ridicule seems particularly harsh. One such example occurred in June 2022 when Beckham took to Instagram to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee.
"70 years of service and inspirational leadership of our country," he wrote. "Let's come together and commemorate her remarkable reign with a great British party these next few days." It was an innocent post and yet, the comments were scathing. In a few saved by Express, followers mocked Beckham with one asking, "Still after that Knighthood Becks?" while another quipped, "You're not getting a knighthood, just let it go."
Beckham has also been made fun of for his fashion sense — like the time he wore socks and sandals – and even his family has gotten in on the teasing. In 2020, son Romeo Beckham responded to a workout post made by his dad with a crying laughing emoji and the cheeky slogan, "Ok big man," per the Mirror. Jump to 2023 and even his Netflix documentary wasn't spared. The Telegraph's Alan Tyers called the doc "schmaltzy PR that exposes him as a hypocrite," and harshly proclaimed, "It is all stuff we already knew, or stuff we did not want to know anyway."