David Beckham on the Apologies He Received After Netflix Doc Revealed ‘Rough’ Treatment, Staying ‘Grounded’ With Victoria and Whether the Spice Girls Would Tour Again

For a decade, streamers, producers and fans have been calling for a David Beckham documentary. But the professional athlete wasn’t ready until now – and neither was his family. And ultimately, that’s where the decisions lie.

“Family has always come first,” Beckham says. It’s a theme that recurs throughout our interview and throughout the entirety of “Beckham,” Netflix’s four-episode documentary series about one of the world’s greatest footballers.
the greats of the time.

Victoria Beckham and their four children – Brooklyn, 25; Romeo, 21 years old; Cruz, 19; and Harper, 12, played an important role in the process from start to finish. But at first, he wasn’t sure he wanted that.

“Honestly, it changed along the way. At one point I asked myself, “Do I really want the kids in this and Victoria too much?” “, he admits. But he quickly realized that it was inevitable in approaching his career. “My career was about my children and my wife, as we have been together for 27 years now. The children experienced all of this. I wanted them to be a part of it, but I didn’t want to put too much pressure on them to be there and talk.

David has said this many times, but the main reason he made this document was to compile everything – the highs and the lows – for his family. And from the beginning, he and Victoria decided to jump in headfirst with the same vision: “If we have to do this, we’ll do it.” Like we do everything else, we put everything into it.

While their adult sons were more aware of their parents’ whirlwind trip, he was a little concerned about Harper’s reaction.

“I was a little worried about my daughter seeing some of the things that were said about me over the years and how she would react,” he says. But nothing surprised her. “I’ve been telling my daughter for a long time that mom wore very, very short skirts. And then she said to me: “Dad, mom wore really, really short skirts!” But she loved it. »

The Posh Spice days are also examined in the doc, offering a closer look at Victoria, both as a member of the Spice Girls – the biggest girl group of all time – and now, as a fashion mogul fashion.

“I think Victoria came out with this documentary and everyone was like, ‘Oh, my God, that person that David has been talking about for 27 years is her,'” he says. “It’s not just about not smiling and pouting. This is what I see every day.

The media saw the pout – and took advantage of it, as the series shows. In the ’90s, “Posh and Becks” was on the front page of every magazine and tabloids, and the couple couldn’t go anywhere without cameras following them.

“I think what I take away from my documentary is how important mental health is. Because 20 years ago, no one was talking about it. And no one took it seriously,” David explains. “Now it’s so great that people can actually talk about their feelings… A lot has been said about us over these 27 years. It can be hurtful.

“I was never one of those people who would just complain,” he continues. “I have been very fortunate to live the life I have lived throughout my career. And I am very grateful for that. I’m never going to complain about that because sometimes when I played a good match it made headlines and newspapers, and that’s a really good thing. But it wasn’t easy.

The treatment of women in the media, especially when it comes to dating a famous athlete, is negative and sexist, even in recent times, as seen in coverage of Taylor Swift at Kansas City Chiefs games in Travis Kelce.

“I hope it has improved. It’s ridiculous that we’re talking about this,” says David. “I think back when Victoria was going to the matches the fans were quite brutal. They sang songs about her. But I’m sure Taylor is strong enough to handle anything.

Overall, though, the level of respect is higher when it comes to media – thanks in part to documentary.

Recently, David and Victoria were in a pub and came out to see a note on the windscreen of their car, with no name or address. “It read: ‘We are sorry for the way you were treated.’ I still have the letter. But that’s what people felt, I think, after the documentary.

Another response to the documentary: the desire to see the Spice Girls on tour again. (No, it wasn’t just me.) Actually, this interview was done later than planned since David was busy coordinating Victoria’s 50th birthday, which included a band reunion. He shared a video of this on his Instagram and it blew up.

“I know that’s what people want, but in all honesty, I think I was the most excited of all. The fact that, obviously, we had all the girls in the same room. Not all of the girls have appeared on stage together in over 15 years. So, having them all there, having them all on stage, having our youngest son playing guitar? He said with a giant smile on his face. “The reason the girls are up there is because I didn’t want to make a traditional video of old clips and people saying, ‘Happy birthday, Victoria!’ My idea was to recreate the “Mama” video, but I only wanted it with Victoria.

During the reenactment screening, Cruz played “Mama” on the guitar and the five women took the stage.

“It was an incredible moment,” says David. But don’t expect to see Posh, Baby, Sporty, Scary and Ginger Spice back in an arena. “Unfortunately, that’s not happening. Victoria was so happy to see the girls, and it was a big part of her life, the girls, but obviously all the girls have their own things. They will do certain things together at certain times. But Victoria is fully occupied with her beauty and fashion activities. If anyone is busier than me, it’s her.

But before moving on, he adds: “There’s nothing more I’d like to see the girls on stage again, so I’ll still work on it, don’t worry!”

Since his retirement in 2013, David Beckham has not taken time off. Instead, he brought Major League Soccer to Miami and Inter Miami made its MLS debut in 2020. The sport, overall, has become more popular over the past two decades. He contributes in large part to this, as does a higher vision of football, thanks to series like “Ted Lasso” and “Welcome to Wrexham” by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

“I think they play a role in it. That’s why I moved to the United States in 2007 with my family to join MLS and join the Galaxy – because I knew there was potential. It’s always been a challenge, and I’m happy to have played a small part in making the league as great as it is today, but it takes moments like what we just did. It takes things like ‘Ted Lasso’ and people like Ryan and Rob to give it some air,” he says. “I’ve always said it: America wants to be the best at everything. I love it and that’s why I wanted to live in America, because I love this culture, this positivity.

Studio 99, the company that produced “Beckham,” was co-founded by Nicola Howson, Beckham and David Gardner. Together, the group is constantly looking for new stories to tell and want to delve into women’s sports.

“Within the studio, we are always looking for different projects. If something happens in women’s football or women’s sport, then we absolutely will,” Beckham said. “When I moved to Los Angeles in 2007, I wouldn’t say I was jealous, but I was a little jealous of the importance of women’s soccer here. I was driving around and seeing different fields around Los Angeles and there were lots of young girls playing this game. I was like, this is the bar we need to reach.

He continues: “We are also looking to start a women’s team in Miami, but the last few years have been difficult. There’s a lot going on. But that’s our plan.

Yet despite a busy schedule – especially after bringing superstar Lionel Messi to Miami last year – David remains humble, as does his wife, he says.

But “she’s not that working class,” he says with a laugh, referring to the moment in the document where she says she grew up working class only for him to call her out and reveal that her father drove a Rolls Royce. “But we are very grounded people. We were raised by very hard-working parents who had good values ​​and good manners. »

The fact that they were able to pass this on to their children is, he says, his greatest achievement. “They are humble, hardworking and passionate. They have dynamism. And at the end of the day, they are good human beings,” he says. “Living the lives they lived, living in different countries, being around the whole circus that lasted our lives, they could have been very different.”

With humble nature comes the benefits of success. Case in point: David drove to our photo shoot and interview… in a Rolls Royce.