David Beckham: Five things we learned from the Netflix documentary

In the Beckham documentary, co-produced by his production company Studio 99, we see Beckham begin his rise as a member of Waltham Forest's 12-year-old squad before becoming a national household name.

12556 views 2 comment(s)
Beckham, Photo: Reuters
Beckham, Photo: Reuters
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

A new Netflix documentary about David Beckham gives an insight into the life of one of England's most influential footballers of all time.

From his free kicks to his hairstyle, Beckham was on the front and back pages of newspapers, and was the inspiration for the title of a movie.

In the Beckham documentary, co-produced by his production company Studio 99, we see Beckham begin his rise as a member of Waltham Forest's 12-year-old squad before becoming a national household name.

The film also features members of his family, former teammates, as well as Sir Alex Ferguson, former successful coach of Manchester United who was also Beckham's boss.

Here are some details from the movie.

Beckham focused only on the field - a difficult task, says Ferguson

Beckham joined Manchester United training in 1991, while he made his debut in the first team the following year, before signing his first professional contract in 1993.

The football world got to know him in 1996 when he gave Wimbledon a goal from midfield.

Fame followed, as manager Ferguson became increasingly concerned about his celebrity lifestyle and relationship with Spice Girls singer Victoria Adams.

"He was attracting attention and becoming a celebrity, which was the opposite of what I wanted," Ferguson said.

It became more and more difficult to be concentrated "exclusively on the field".

Beckham remembers how Ferguson "completely snapped" when he didn't listen to him and didn't choose the agent he suggested.

"He just wanted to make me the best football player possible and marry me off to some local girl who wasn't a superstar," Beckham said.

As part of the "Generation '92", Beckham was also part of the historic generation that won all three major football trophies in 1999 - the Premier League, the Cup and the Champions League. In total, he won six English Premier League titles with United.

He attributes those successes to the "family" dynamic at Old Trafford, and during the film he calls Ferguson a "father figure" all the time.

"The way he treated me from the earliest days was special," he said.

"He was one of the most important people in my life since I was twelve years old. We were a family and that's why we were so successful."

Worldo championship: Beckham's exclusion

Beckham says he still "can't forgive" himself for the red card he received against Argentina at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

England ended up losing that game on penalties, and this led to Beckham becoming National Enemy No. 1.


Watch the clip: Red for Beckham


"I wish there was a pill that I could take and erase some things from my memory," says Beckham.

"It was a stupid mistake that changed my life.

"The whole country hated me. Everywhere I went, people would call me names. I was served".

His wife, Victoria, who was in a different state during that period when her husband was taunted, blames the then coach of the England national team, Glenn Hoddle, who, during the interview after the game, found the reasons for the defeat precisely in Beckham's exclusion.

In the documentary, she says Beckham was "in a state of clinical depression and completely broken" during that period.

His Manchester United team-mate Gary Neville added: “It was inhumane what Beckham was dealing with. That would break 99 percent of football players."

Beckham's 'stitches were fake': Team Economist

Getty Images

The film also deals with the infamous locker room incident in 2003 when Ferguson hit Beckham with his football boot.

The United coach was furious after the defeat to Arsenal in the FA Cup.

Here's how Beckham remembers it: "When you see the boss's face like that, you don't want to be around him at all."

A heated argument between the two followed after Beckham lashed out at Ferguson and swore at him.

Club economist Albert Morgan says that Ferguson "flew into a rage" and kicked the jerseys that were on the floor, kicked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's boot and hit Beckham.

"It was a completely bizarre incident," adds Ferguson.

That's how the photo of Beckham after the incident came about, with a patch over his eye, although Ferguson claimed he "just brushed him" and that stitches weren't necessary.

"I'm not going to talk about it," Morgan said.

"I'll just say that I think the whole thing was staged, because the injury wasn't worth stitching."

Madrid's nightmare

GettyImages

After rumors that he was going to move to Barcelona, ​​in July 2003, Beckham signed a contract with Real Madrid worth around 28 million euros.

At that point, his relationship with Ferguson had already become problematic.

The pair never discussed the transfer, which Beckham claims was a good thing because it would have "broken his heart" otherwise.

Not long after arriving at the Bernabeu, former assistant coach at Manchester United, Carlos Queiroz, was appointed head coach at Madrid.

"We never got along," Beckham said.

"It was shocking for me that I was starting in a new club with a coach who didn't even want me in my previous team. It was a different kind of pressure."

Off the field, Beckham's family was rocked by an alleged adulterous affair that was widely reported. Beckham and Victoria denied that David cheated on his wife while they were living in Spain.

Although the couple does not want to comment on the details of the documentary, Beckham says that it was complicated to deal with some things.

Photographers followed their children to school, and Victoria admits that she "was annoyed" with her husband because of the "absolute circus" that the extra media attention produced.

"For the first time in our marriage, Victoria and I found ourselves under some kind of pressure," he adds.

He loved being a football player so much

Beckham's decision to retire came sooner than he thought.

In January 2013, he moved to Paris Saint-Germain, but it was too ambitious.

He was 38 years old and after the games he felt "great exhaustion".

"Everything hurt," he says.

"I was hurt. In the morning, I could barely get out of bed because of the pain."

Beckham announced his retirement four months later and stated that he "couldn't breathe and control his emotions" in the last game he played.

"I loved this sport more than anyone else.

"I know it's not true, but I think I loved this game more than anyone," he says with a smile.


Watch the video: The Terminator is patching potholes in the road


Follow us on Facebook,Twitter i Viber. If you have a topic proposal for us, contact us at bbcnasrpskom@bbc.co.uk

Bonus video: