In a four-episode limited series, popular footballer David Beckham relives the highs and lows of his 20-year professional career.
Released on Oct 4., the series remains in the top ten television shows streaming on Netflix (as of Oct. 30).
The documentary focuses on a wide variety of subjects: Beckham’s childhood, his marriage to his wife, former Spice-Girls-member-turned-fashion-designer Victoria Beckham (née Adams). Of course, the documentary also delves deep into his soccer career.
The four episodes of the series: “The Kick”, “Seeing Red”, “Golden Balls” and “What Makes David Run”, range in length from 66 to 77 minutes.
The first episode begins focusing on Beckham’s rise to stardom, starting with his unbelievable goal in 1996. On Aug. 17, 1996, Beckham, who was at Manchester United at the time, scored a goal from the halfway line. The goal etched the beginning of the 21-year-old’s legendary soccer career.
Fisher Stevens, the director of Beckham, interviewed various former teammates and coaches of Beckham’s, including Sir Alex Ferguson, Fabio Capello, Gary Neville, Ronaldo Nazario, Luis Fido, and others. These exchanges provided viewers a broader glance into the reality of Beckham’s life, career and the hardships he faced.
Beckham spoke at length of the 1998 World Cup incident where he was ejected from the game. At the time of the incident, England was playing against Argentina in the round of 16 during the FIFA World Cup in 1998. The game was tied 2-2, and Beckham was given a red card for kicking Diego Simeone, an Argentinian player, but his intentions during the game remain unclear. England later lost the game during the penalty shootouts. Beckham spoke to Stevens about the depression he faced after the loss and the horrific treatment by England fans, many of whom sent him and his family death threats.
Later on in the limited series, it is mentioned that a series of articles were released in April of 2004, in which it was alleged that Beckham engaged in an extramarital affair. Both Victoria and Beckham quickly glossed over the subject, moving on to other topics, such as their family and moving into their L.A. home when Beckham joined L.A. Galaxy. Beckham does not outright deny the affair, but merely admits that he was unfair to Victoria and that it was a difficult time in their marriage.
The series also discusses the various haircuts of ‘Becks,’ and how his influence inspired so many people. In a particularly famous moment, Beckham shaved his head in 2000 after years of rocking his famous blonde locks. Due to the popularity of football (soccer) in England, Beckham reached a god-like level of praise and worship by his fans, to the point where many copied his hairstyle.
Another prominent point in the program is the relationship between Victoria Beckham and former Manchester United manager Ferguson. It was fairly obvious and widely reported that Ferguson was not a fan of Victoria because he felt that she drew Beckham’s attention away from his team. He also did not enjoy the media attention that the couple got, they were widely regarded as one of the most famous couples of the time.
Overall, the documentary provides a relaxed and humble glance into the former footballer, both on and off the field. For those who don’t know much about soccer or Beckham, it provides a simple outline of the game and what’s important, allowing for it to be easily comprehensible for people at all levels of understanding.
