A painful time. Remember the 1998 World Cup. On June 30, 1998, England lost the round of 16 against Argentina. During this match, David Beckham was the victim of a tackle, and responded with a kick to the Argentinian Diego Simeone. He walked off the field, and the Three Lions were eliminated. Fans turned against him, and the Manchester United star became the target of a violent hate campaign from supporters and the press. Thus, he received death threats, and some supporters even “spit on it”. During this difficult period, he was not the only one to suffer: his wife Victoria Beckham, and mother of his four children Harper, Cruz, Brooklyn and Romeo, also bore the brunt of this hatred. In the documentary Beckham, broadcast on Netflix since October 4, 2023, the ex-singer of the Spice Girls, aged 49, shared the mockery she was subjected to during her husband’s matches. Because the fans have “started singing songs” on her… with very insulting words.
“It’s hurtful” says Victoria Beckham
More than 20 years after this event, Victoria Beckham still remembers the content of a song very precisely: “Posh Spice takes it up the a**e” (“Posh Spice takes it in the ass” in French). Visibly affected, the former singer turned stylist declared in the report, facing the camera: “Excuse my language, it’s not very elegant. But to hear 75,000 people singing that, it’s embarrassing, it’s hurtful”. She remembers a moment when, confused by the chants, a woman sitting next to her offered her a piece of candy, not knowing what else to say. “We didn’t know how to react. We felt like we were sinking”. David Beckham, for his part, sees things differently: “As difficult as it was to see Victoria in the stands, that was actually what motivated me. When the fans thought they were reaching me by singing about my family, I ended up scoring a goal.”. In other parts of the documentary, the couple also remembers good times during this period. So, the former Manchester United striker was making every effort to spend time with Victoria. Despite their busy schedules, he found techniques to see her: “He did everything to spend time with me, he sometimes chartered a plane, just for a few hours”remembers the singer.