Beckham True Story: 10 Things Netflix’s David Beckham Documentary Leaves Out

SUMMARY

•  Beckham focuses on David Beckham’s personal relationships and on-field achievements, showcasing his marriage with Victoria but leaving out key figures like his sisters and some teammates.
•  The documentary doesn’t feature Beckham’s sporting rivals, missing an opportunity to provide a fuller picture of his career.
•  The documentary briefly touches on Beckham’s involvement with Inter Miami’s tough beginnings and his controversial support for the Qatar World Cup, but it doesn’t delve into these topics in depth.

The Netflix documentary Beckham explores the private life of the international superstar in detail, but it leaves out some major details from the true story. The miniseries chronicles David Beckham’s journey from a talented child to one of the greatest and most popular soccer players in the history of the game. Beckham grew up in a media storm, with paparazzi following him everywhere and newspapers reporting his latest hairstyles on the front page. Throughout the whole experience, Beckham found comfort in his relationship with his wife Victoria, a global celebrity in her own right. What sets Beckham apart from other great sports documentaries is that their marriage receives just as much attention as Beckham’s on-field achievements.

The deeply personal nature of Beckham makes it seem as though the couple is laying everything out in plain sight, but there are just as many unanswered questions stemming from Beckham’s highly publicized life. Omissions had to be made when dissecting one of the most well-documented figures of British cultural history. There is only so much detail that can be squeezed into the four episodes available on Netflix. Certain notable exclusions from Beckham’s life story make perfect sense given that the documentary hopes to portray him in a favorable light. Others, however, are a little more surprising.

10. David Beckham’s Two Sisters

Beckham’s mother and father both feature prominently in the Netflix documentary, but his two sisters only appear in the background of home video footage. David Beckham’s family means a lot to him, so it’s surprising that his sisters are not even mentioned, let alone interviewed. Beckham grew up as a middle child, and his sisters could have provided some unique insight into how his childhood shaped him into one of the world’s greatest athletes. The documentary only briefly touches on his youth, so there may not have been enough space for an in-depth examination of the Beckham household.

9. Some Of Beckham’s Greatest Teammates

Beckham features an incredible cast of world-class soccer players, from Beckham’s compatriots at Manchester United to many of Real Madrid’s so-called “Galacticos.” Plenty of players who weren’t interviewed could have provided a slightly different perspective. Beckham claims that he was lonely when he first moved to Real Madrid, but the club’s one other English player at the time, Steve McManaman, isn’t mentioned. It also would have been interesting to see how England players who only spent a limited amount of time with Beckham viewed him, such as the captain at the 1998 World Cup, Alan Shearer.

8. David Beckham’s Absence From The 2010 World Cup

Beckham states that he moved to AC Milan to better his chances of making the England squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but the timeline lacks some clarity. Beckham was loaned to AC Milan twice, once in 2009 and again in 2010. His first loan to Milan was renegotiated after two months so that he could spend more time in Italy, and he enjoyed some success with the club. Even though he played well in the run-up to the World Cup, he tore his left Achilles tendon and was forced to miss out. He never made another appearance for England.

7. David Beckham’s Sporting Rivals

Except for the Argentine Diego Simeone, none of Beckham’s former opponents have a speaking role in Beckham. Beckham’s success at Manchester United came about amid intense rivalries with Arsenal, Liverpool, and Newcastle United. Featuring any of the notable players from these teams would have provided a fuller picture of Beckham’s talent and aura on the field. Beckham focuses on his personal relationships and the media attention he attracted more than most sports documentaries, but Beckham’s career timeline features some incredible soccer personalities who don’t feature. Perhaps one of the left-backs tasked with marking Beckham could have given a different perspective on his style as a player.

6. Inter Miami’s Tough Beginnings

The conception of Beckham’s Major League Soccer franchise features in the final episode, but much of the struggle to establish the team is ignored. The team’s launch was repeatedly pushed back as they struggled to find a suitable stadium and secure funding. Even after the team started playing, their performances failed to impress fans. Their troubles continued off the field, when some members of the club’s hierarchy were sanctioned for breaking the league’s spending rules. Even when Lionel Messi signed in the summer of 2023, Inter Miami were among the worst teams in the MLS. They’ve started improving since and picked up their first trophy in August.

5. David Beckham’s Controversial Support For The Qatar World Cup

Everything about FIFA’s decision to award the nation of Qatar the rights to host the 2022 World Cup was controversial. The bidding process was surrounded by allegations of bribery and corruption which scandalized the world of soccer. Once the decision was made, the focus switched to Qatar’s alleged history of human rights abuses. Many questioned whether they should be allowed the prestige of staging the biggest sporting tournament on the planet. Beckham was heavily criticized during this period for working as an ambassador for the Qatar World Cup, using his global influence to promote the country.

4. David Beckham’s Rift With His Father

Ted Beckham stands out as one of the most fascinating characters in Beckham. He’s a father who relentlessly pushed David to reach his maximum potential, even if his wife thought he often demanded too much of their son. Ted divorced David’s mother, Sandra, in 2002 and published an autobiography shortly after, which cited David’s fame as one of the stresses on their marriage. Ted stated that the media scrutiny put the couple under undue pressure. Tensions escalated in 2003, when Ted objected to David’s transfer to Real Madrid. For a while the pair would only communicate via their lawyers. Fortunately, David and Ted have since repaired their relationship.

3. The Broken Metatarsal Which Threatened His World Cup Hopes

Before the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, England fans were hopeful for a new generation to end the fruitless run they had endured since 1966. The nation’s hopes rested on David Beckham’s shoulders, but shortly before the tournament, he broke the second metatarsal on his left foot in a Champions League match for Manchester United. A nervy couple of months followed as England panicked at the prospect of having to compete without their star player. Ultimately, he played in the World Cup only partially fit, and England were knocked out by Brazil. To this day, the 1966 World Cup remains England’s only major trophy.

2. David Beckham’s Foray Into Hollywood Movies

Some of the most shocking reveals in Beckham detail how his family were hounded by the media. David and Victoria Beckham reached a level of global stardom that is often reserved exclusively for Hollywood actors. It’s fitting that Beckham’s American team played in Los Angeles because he has appeared in several big-budget movies. He features in Goal! and Goal II: Living The Dream, both of which follow a fictional football player’s journey to the top, not unlike Beckham’s own. Beckham has also made cameo appearances in two Guy Ritchie films thanks to his friendship with the director, and he even played himself in Deadpool 2.

1. Rebecca Loos Is Never Directly Mentioned

Although the documentary mentions the alleged affair between Beckham and his former personal assistant, Rebecca Loos, her name is never spoken. The documentary is more concerned with how David and Victoria reacted to the alleged months-long infidelity rather than what Loos has to say about what happened. At the time, the story was all over the British press, with journalists keen to either paint Beckham as a cheat or Loos as a liar. Beckham director Fisher Stevens may have chosen not to include too much detail, or else he would have risked feeding into the public controversy and ignoring how his subjects felt behind closed doors.