David Beckham
David Beckham he screws up his face, grits his teeth and flexes – or
tries to flex – his biceps like a muscleman, before falling about
laughing. He’s just finished a two-hour photo shoot at an enormous
studio tucked away in eastern Madrid, the sleeves have been torn off
his shirt, and the serious poses and mean stares have given way to
broad smiles.
The England captain is in a chirpy mood as he settles in to a leather chair alongside FourFourTwo
on the same stage where the flashbulbs have been going off all
afternoon, still in football kit, his socks a few sizes too big, heels
half way up his Achilles.
This must be what it’s like being Parkinson: two chairs, countless
spotlights and an
audience listening in, eager to hear what the
world’s most famous footballer has to say. One on one? There are few
more than that, with photographers and crew, their day’s work now done,
gathering round as Beckham eyes up the questions – your questions.
“People don’t half ask some weird things,” he grins, and he has a
point. Starting with...
How good were Ridgeway Rovers?
Sammy Neil, Essex
The best. They would beat Real Madrid. And England. And Man United. All
together. Nah, I’m joking, but that was a massive part of my life, the
first team I was involved in. It was an amazing time. I had Stewart
Underwood, Steve Kirby and my dad as coaches. Stewart Underwood was
like a sergeant major. He scared me. In fact, I’ve always had managers
and coaches that have scared me...
Did you change hairstyles often as a lad? I can see you in your uniform with a wedge...
Jane Simmons, via e-mail
I changed it as many times as my mum would let me, which wasn’t often.
I remember the first time she took me to the hairdressers’. I wanted it
really short but she wouldn’t let me – she gave me this spike thing.
When I look back on it I can’t believe she did that to me!
Did you ever fancy copying Lee Sharpe and having a fan club at Discotheque Royale?
Steve Price, Sale
No, definitely not. I actually went to one of his events once. He
invited me because I was in digs on my own. We used to hang around a
bit. The event was crazy. Lee and Giggsy were The Two at the time. They
were young, they’d both got into the first team, they had matching
jeeps, which the manager wasn’t happy about, they were the cool ones.
Do you think you’ll ever score another goal from the halfway
line? Have you thought about trying it again? When you did it, how long
did the buzz last?
Abdul, via e-mail
I’d try it every game if it was on. If I saw the opportunity, I’d love
to score another one like that. That buzz lasted a long time after. The
buzz is still with me now to tell the truth; I still get goose bumps
when I see it. I’ve got a picture in my house that was sent to me,
taken from behind where I kicked it, and the ball is in the air and the
Selhurst Park crowd is in the background and you can see my mum, my dad
and my sister in the photo as the ball drops towards the goal. That’s
one to cherish.
What was it like to inherit the United No.7 shirt from a total legend like Cantona? Nerve-wracking?
Shaun Cooper, Wilmslow
The No.7 was the shirt at Manchester United for me. It has always been
worn by amazing players and players who I’ve really looked up to – like
George Best, like Eric Cantona, like Bryan Robson who I always wanted
to emulate. I wore No.7 when I was young and to be given it at the time
was very special, but nerve-wracking? No, I didn’t find it
nerve-wracking.
When you look back at the way you were treated by fans around the
country after the 1998 World Cup, how do you feel? Shocked? Upset? Can
you laugh about it now, or does it still piss you off?
Stuart Roberts, via e-mail
It hurt at the time, but what I really think about when I look back to
that time is the way Man United fans were to me. Every time I took a
corner for two years – two years! – the United fans were on their feet,
clapping me, cheering me, singing my name. All I had to do was step
towards the corner flag and they’d be doing that. That support was
amazing. On the pitch, it made everything a lot easier. Being at a club
that supported me the way it did after what had happened, and having
the support of the fans, meant the world to me.
Which was better: scoring the last-minute free-kick against
Greece to reach the World Cup or United’s last-gasp European Cup Final
victory in 1999?
Simon Kirk, Orpington
[Puffs out his cheeks] I don’t think I could decide between the two.
They were both such emotional moments. Winning the European Cup like
that was incredible. There had been so many twists and turns all year
and to win all three trophies after such an emotional season, topping
it off like we did in the last three minutes, was amazing. Looking back
at it now, I still get goose bumps.
Scoring the goal against Greece was one of the best feelings I’ve had
personally in football. Emotionally, it was incredible. But it was so
personal with United as well because we’d all grown up together, we all
wanted to win the biggest trophy in club football. We’d done it
together...but the England thing was huge too.
How fit were you at the 2002 World Cup? Before you broke your
metatarsal, you were in the form of your life. Do you think England
would have won the World Cup if you hadn’t got injured?
Patrick Jackson, via e-mail
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Who’s to say what might have happened?
I wasn’t as fit as I would have liked to have been going into a World
Cup but I’m not sure what difference that made. Even now, people still
look back on the Brazil game and say I jumped out of the way of a
tackle and that maybe I did that because of the foot.
But that’s not
true: I thought the ball was going out – that’s why I jumped, I wasn’t
avoiding the tackle. Who knows what might have happened if my fitness
had been better? At times it might have affected my performance because
I was nowhere near as fit as I would have been if I hadn’t broken my
foot. Coming back from an injury like that, I was always going to be
some pain.
Three days after the final game of the 2002-03 season, you were
offered a new four-year contract. If, as you publicly said, you wanted
to stay, why didn’t you sign it? Can you appreciate why you lost the
respect of United fans because you made out you were being forced out?
Barney Stanton, Castleford
No. A year before, I’d signed a new four-year contract. I was on the
pitch with the manager, cuddling. In front of everybody. It was just
before the World Cup and there I was saying: this is where I want to
stay. I’d signed for four years so I didn’t see why anyone would not
respect me or not believe that I wanted to stay at United. Then after
that it all changed. I don’t know what happened to be honest. [FFT: So why didn’t you sign that contract?] I signed, I signed. [FFT: No, the subsequent year, immediately before leaving for Madrid?] Because I still had three years left on my contract and three years is a long time.
How pissed off were you to be used as a political pawn in the
Barcelona presidential election? Have you spoken to Joan Laporta about
it?
Scott Morris, via e-mail
I’ve never spoken to anyone from Barcelona. When I found out that Man
United wanted to sell me, I was annoyed. They wanted to make the
decision for me and I wanted to make my own decision. Barcelona is a
great club, it was obviously an honour to be mentioned by them and
Laporta is a nice person, a good guy, but I’d always said that if I
ever had to leave United – which I never thought I would do – then I
would be going to Real Madrid. And I would decide my future. I was
angry that I was leaving Man United: it’s the club I’ve always
supported, the club I started my career at and I thought I’d end my
career at. I found out while
I was on holiday, which wasn’t nice.
What went wrong in your relationship with Fergie? You were so
close for so long and then it seemed to fall apart...
If you had your
time again, would you do anything differently?
Sally Hawkes, Wilmslow
There’s not one thing I would change because I had an amazing time
there with the fans, with the club, with the manager. Without them I
wouldn’t be where I am today. They gave me the chance to fulfil my
dream by playing for Man United.
I respect that and I’m grateful to
the manager for that. There are always going to be ups and downs with
managers and team-mates and that happened with the manager. It was well
documented, more documented with me and the manager than between anyone
else, and it got blown out of proportion. When the club said they
wanted me to leave, I was gutted. I can remember the last game at Old
Trafford when I was supposed to have said “I’ve had talks” [he was
filmed on the pitch at Old Trafford talking to Gary Neville]. What
I
said was, “They’ve had talks”. I hadn’t spoken to anyone – I had no
reason to. I’d just won the league with Man United and I was assuming
everything was fine. I had not had one set of talks, not even when we
played Real Madrid and I was dropped for that game. People were saying
it then but I had never, ever spoken to anyone. Even the players at
Real Madrid say to me now:
“The deal was already done for ages wasn’t
it? Because we got told.” And I say [exasperated laugh]: “No, no, it
wasn’t.”
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever heard or read about yourself?
Paul Walsh, via e-mail
[Rolls his eyes] Oh, God! There’s a different one every day. Every
single day people are making things up, lying, trying to publicise
their business. It is literally every day. One of the things that
always bugged me was that when I was still at United, people said I was
living in London and traveling up. That annoyed me because even the
manager ended up questioning me about it. I had a house in London, but
I lived in Manchester. People used to say “why do you do so much
travelling?” but I really didn’t. What else? God, there are so many
things. People said I bought my son a £25,000 diamond earring for his
fifth birthday, which... Was. Not. True.
Have you ever eaten bull’s testicles?
Gary Rawlings, via e-mail
No. But I have eaten bull's ears. Grim? No – lovely, actually.
Is it true that Ronaldo has turtles swimming in his pool at home?
Matt Husband, Norwich
No. Not true. [Starts giggling]. Definitely not true. Trust me, I’d notice. I’ve swum in his pool.
Eric Cantona or Zinedine Zidane?
Billy Moore, via e-mail
Tough choice but I’d have to say Zidane. Eric Cantona was special, he
had an aura about him, he is the king of Old Trafford and that’s the
way he should always be remembered. Eric is a great guy, a great
player, one of the best players I have ever played with, but I still
think Zidane.
What was the last thing that went through your mind when you took
that penalty against Portugal in Euro 2004? And the first thing that
went through it when you missed?
Sarah Hendrie, Leeds
The first thing that went through my mind as I hit it was: “What
happened?” Because, even when I kicked it, you could see the ground
lift up considerably and I never strike balls as badly as that. For the
ground to move like that was unfortunate. What went through my mind
when I realised I’d missed was probably how I was going to get caned. [FFT: And what about when you heard that a fan had caught the ball and was selling it on eBay?]
It went for about £32,000 in the end. It’s one of those things that
happens to me. Nothing amazes me anymore. I wasn’t at all tempted to
buy it myself though – it could have been any ball. It might have been
a snide!
Is it true that you travel separately from the rest of the
England team and stay in different hotels? If so, how do you think that
contributes to team spirit?
Adrian Ely, Luton
Yeah, when the team are in the dodgy hotels I’m in the Four Seasons! Of
course not. We stay as a team. If it was offered to me I wouldn’t want
it. I might be England captain but it doesn’t mean that I get treated
any differently. It does irritate me a bit when I see that story being
written because people believe it – hence me getting asked the question
– but that’s part of life these days. People read things and believe
them: that’s another one of those myths.
Are you the most famous person you know?
Georgie, via e-mail
Erm... no. Tom Cruise. He’s a lot more famous than me.
Doesn’t all the adulation, the autographs, the screaming girls
and so on, freak you out? What’s the maddest thing you’ve done to shake
a paparazzo off your tail?
Rachel Gallagher, Hull
It doesn’t freak me out. People turn round to me and say: “Don’t you
hate it?” How can you hate it? People want your picture, your autograph
and it’s an honour to have that, to have the ability to make people
happy. It doesn’t freak me out. [Smiles] Unless they come up and start
crying, and they want a hug and a cuddle – that happens quite a bit. [FFT: So, what do you do if a 10-year-old girl is crying and wants a hug?]
You give her a hug because you never like to see kids crying. As for
the paparazzi: lots of things. I try to get out of my house every day
without being followed, and it’s pretty hard.
You’re said to have back problems because of your kicking style. Will this curtail your career by a couple of years?
Will Harrison, Brentford
No. I have got a bit of aching in my back. It’s there but it’s not going to stop me playing football.
If Malcolm Glazer gave Alex Ferguson the money to buy you back,
would you come? We’ll chuck in Carlos Queiroz in part-exchange...
Si Wilson, Leyland
Ha ha ha! Ooh, that’s a tough one! I don’t know. I’m happy at Madrid
but I’ve always said that if I had to go back to England the only club
I’d want to go back to is Man United. I’m happy here but you never know
what could happen in the future.
If you could do it all again, what would you do differently in
your career? And of all the highs, which bit would you most enjoy doing
again?
Anthony Christoforou, Indiana, USA
There’s not one thing I’d change because it’s all been part of my life
and every situation has changed me as a person. Of course 1998 was a
tough time and in a way I wish that hadn’t happened, but if it hadn’t
have happened, maybe I wouldn’t be as strong as I am. I’d like to play
the 1999 season again because the end of it was so special. And of
course scoring the Greece goal. That’s what I mean about not changing
anything: 1999 was made more special because of ’98, for coming through
it. Mind you, I was still getting the abuse for three or four years
after that.
What role in professional football, if any, do you envisage for
yourself after you retire as a player? Are you taking your coaching
badges? And if not football, what do you plan to do?
Daniel Mann, via e-mail
I definitely won’t be a manager. What interests me more than anything
is my soccer academy. I’ve got one in London and one in LA and there
are plans for others in different countries. That’s what interests me:
coaching kids, teaching them about football and life. My academy is
different because of the classrooms where the kids can learn about
football, about their bodies, about different aspects of the game. The
kids learn about respect – for players, referees, supporters and in
everyday life. So, that’s one thing, and being a Unicef ambassador is
another. Those are going to be big parts of my life and I’ll also spend
as much time as I can with my kids.
I’m a PE teacher and girls are really starting to get into football.
If a girl was good enough, would you be in favour of her playing
alongside you for England?
Jennie Bowmer, Alsager
Absolutely. I wouldn’t have any problems at all if she was good enough.
For example, my academy is for girls and boys – that was one of the
things I was adamant about. I’ve always backed women’s football and
we’ve already had girls coming down to the academy who have been very,
very good. That shows the standard of women’s football in England. We’d
need two dressing rooms of course but, hey, people think I have my own
anyway!
From the February 2006 issue of FourFourTwo.