Yahoo Sports David Beckham's 1998 World Cup Run Was Really Brutal
The new Netflix docuseries Beckham explores David Beckham’s impressive career, tracking his rise from a soccer-obsessed kid to a global superstar.
The series covers some of his most intimate life details as well as impressive moments in David’s career (like his 1996 goal from the halfway line). Plus, it also dives into his time playing for England’s World Cup teams. There's a reason there was a full-length feature film in 2002 called Bend It Like Beckham, an ode to his corner shots that seemed to "bend" around the goalie and right into the net.
So, with all of that talent and fame, people are left asking one big question: Did the great David Beckham actually win a World Cup during his time on the pitch? Here’s everything to know.
He started his soccer career playing for Manchester United.
As Beckham reveals, David’s father was a huge Manchester United fan when he was growing up—so David became a massive fan of the soccer team, too.
He was recruited by the team when he was just 16 and played his first match with them at age 17, according to the Manchester United website.
How many World Cup matches has he played in?
David has played in three World Cups—in 1998, 2002, and 2006—according to the National Football Museum.
During the 1998 game, he played on England's team against Argentina. The semifinals game ended in a 2-2 tie, and England ended up losing in a shoot out during penalty kicks.
In 2002, Beckham was back playing for England. The team only made it to the quarter-finals that year, though.
By 2006, Beckham played in what would be his final World Cup tournament. They once again made it to the quarter-finals before losing to Portugal.
Has David Beckham won a World Cup?
No, this soccer star has never actually won a World Cup. However, his Manchester United bio notes that he is the only England player to have scored a goal in three different World Cups so, go David!
For what it's worth, England last won a World Cup game in 1966, when they beat Germany. But they haven't won another one to date. It's like the Red Sox World Series curse but for British soccer.
What happened at the World Cup in 1998?
The 1998 World Cup was complicated for David. It was his first time playing in a World Cup, and he made a controversial move in the round of 16 when England played Argentina, drawing quite a deal of backlash.
The score was tied at 2-2, and David received a red card for kicking a player on the Argentina team, the documentary explains. But, it was a little more complicated than it appeared.
Argentina's Diego Simeone fouled David first and, when Diego stood up, he rubbed his knuckles against the back of David’s head while David was lying face down in the grass. David kicked Diego, who fell over—and he got a red card.
England ended up losing the game after a penalty shoot-out (due to that red card) and was eliminated from the World Cup.
The backlash over David's actions were pretty intense. In a headline, the Daily Mirror called the English team, “10 Heroic Lions, One Stupid Boy” (with David being the “stupid boy”), and opposing teams booed him every time he touched the ball once he was back to playing for Manchester United. He even got death threats over the red card, David shared in the documentary.
Worth noting: Diego Simeone later said in an interview with Observer Sport Monthly, per The Guardian, that he was trying to get David kicked out of the game.
“I had tackled him, and we both fell to the ground,” he said. “As I was trying to stand up that was when he kicked me from behind. And I took advantage of that. And I think any person would have taken advantage of that in just the same way.”
Is David Beckham retired?
He's been out of the game for about a decade now. David Beckham officially retired from playing soccer in 2013, per Brittanica. That said, he still has a hand in a lot of different businesses, including owning the pro soccer team, Inter Miami, which just recruited soccer legend Lionel Messi.
What is his net worth in 2023?
David is currently worth a whopping $450 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He's also married to Victoria Beckham (aka Posh Spice from the Spice Girls), and she's worth another $450 million. That puts the couple's total net worth at near $1 billion. Talk about a power couple!
For more details on the soccer legend, you can catch more of his story on Netflix in his new docuseries, Beckham.
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