On October 4, Netflix released the documentary Beckham which explores the life of soccer star David Beckham. Beckham is English, having been raised in the town Chingford outside of London. He signed with football team Manchester United at the age of 17 in 1991 and has gone on to be recognized as one of the greatest football players of all time. Beckham is also widely known for his relationship with his wife Victoria Beckham, who was a member of the famous Spice Girls and is now a well known fashion designer. The documentary covers the time of David making a famous kick in 1996 from the halfway line up until where he is today.
In 1996, David Beckham made a kick from the halfway line, which brought him to national attention. Although he was already widely known by Manchester United fans, it was this kick that propelled him into global fame. British media began constantly covering him. The documentary explores this, delving into Beckham’s childhood and lead up to this point, as well as exploring the idea of going from locally famous to nationwide famous with one game. In 1997, Beckham met and began dating Victoria Adams — well known as Posh Spice — and in the documentary, it is revealed that they were encouraged to keep their relationship a secret at first, although, it was soon revealed to the press. The couple soon became a well known power couple and fashion icons of the late 90’s and 2000’s.
The documentary then covers the 1998 World Cup, in which England was playing a match against Argentina. Beckham was red carded after kicking a player who fouled him. Beckham received hate from millions of people across England who blamed him for the game being lost. As a result, Beckham fell into a heavy depression, which is something the documentary particularly explores. Mental health is clearly an important thing to Beckham. The way he was treated and how it affected him have clearly had a lasting impact, which is made obvious in the documentary.
Beckham was later transferred to Real Madrid after conflicts with the head manager at Manchester United. At Real Madrid, he became one of their best players of all time. He stayed there for four years before deciding to make a move to LA to play for the LA Galaxy in 2007. Beckham would play there for the rest of his career before finally making the decision to retire in 2013 after a 20 year career. Beckham has continued to be connected with soccer by owning the team InterMiami, which started in 2020. Beckham has also opened up about his struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder in recent years and became an advocate for mental health.
The documentary has been very well received by the public, as it provides an insight into the real life struggles of a professional athlete especially one known on such an international level. In particular, Victoria Beckham’s appearances throughout the documentary have been met with praise and acclaim with some calling for a documentary on her and her fellow Spice Girls.
British PE coach Matt Hampson says, “Goals change games, but they can also change lives. August 1996, a 21-year-old David Beckham propels himself towards superstardom with a goal from the halfway-line for Manchester United. A career spanning 20 seasons with time spent playing in England, Spain, America, Italy, and France, where he would eventually hang up his boots and call time on an illustrious playing career. A career that took him to the highest of highs winning trophy after trophy with Manchester United, and the lowest of lows after being sent off for England in a World Cup game against Argentina. There’s no doubt that he will be remembered as one of the finest English players to play the game. He was hated by many, he was adored by many, but he was never ignored.”
