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David Beckham will be remembered as one of the greatest players of all time, with a special place of pride in English football history. But early in his career, there was one moment that overshadowed all of his other success: a brutal red card in the knockout round of the 1998 World Cup.
The red came early in the second half, after a then-23-year-old Beckham, knocked to the ground after a tackle from Diego Simeone, kicked out one of his legs and caused Simeone to fall over. The game was tied 2-2 at the time, and with England playing down a player, Argentina went on to win the game in penalties — a stunning Round of 16 exit for a well-favored England team.
In the Netflix documentary “Beckham,” which was released in 2023, Beckham spoke at length about the backlash he received in the wake of the red. All of England, it seemed, blamed him exclusively for the loss.
“The whole country hated me,” Beckham said.
Simeone, who was interviewed for the documentary, said openly that he had oversold the contact, and that a red card was a particularly harsh call. But England didn’t care.
“I wish there was a pill that you could take that could erase certain memories,” Beckham said. “I made a stupid mistake … Changed my life.”
In the documentary, Beckham described the “extreme” behavior he faced in the months after the loss, where he was constantly confronted and subjected to verbal abuse while out and about. He was also called out by English politicians on television, who pointed to the 23-year-old as the reason for England’s World Cup failure. In one especially worrying incident, an effigy of Beckham was hung outside of a pub in London.
Beckham found a temporary escape after the tournament with his then-girlfriend, now-wife, Victoria Beckham, joining the Spice Girls while they were on tour. But when he returned to Manchester United, Beckham was threatened and booed by away fans at every game. Opposing players would target him on the field, with the crowd cheering every time he went down.
During this time, Beckham said he “felt very vulnerable and alone.” Victoria said in the documentary that he was likely “clinically depressed” at the time.
“I wasn’t eating, I wasn’t sleeping. I was a mess,” Beckham said. “I didn’t know what to do.”
“He was broken. He was absolutely broken. He was in pieces,” Victoria said.
The mistreatment from England fans went on for years, culminating in Beckham flipping off a group of fans at the 2000 Euros who had been screaming obscenities at him.
Beckham went on to become England’s captain later that year, leading the team to the 2002 and 2006 World Cup. The team exited in the quarterfinals of both tournaments, but Beckham’s legacy has withstood far beyond that one red card.
