GERARD CERLES/AFP/Getty
David Beckhammay have retired from soccer in 2013, but he remains one of the most famous sportspeople on the planet.
His rise from a young player at Manchester United to a global superstar is documented in the2023 Netflix series,Beckham,which features never-before-seen footage and intimate interviews with Beckham, his family and teammates.
The docuseries also dives into one ofBeckham’s most pivotal points in his career: his controversial red card during the 1998 World Cup. The moment came in the round of 16, when England played Argentina. With the score at 2-2, Beckham received a red card for kicking at an opposing player, and England went on to lose the game after a penalty shoot-out.
England was eliminated from the competition as a result and Beckham faced heavy backlash back home. While he went on to become one of the greatest soccer players of his generation, playing for teams like Real Madrid, AC Milan and L.A. Galaxy, his red card — and its aftermath — is still an incident that lives long in the memory.
Here’s everything to know about what happened to David Beckham during the England vs. Argentina World Cup match in 1998 and the impact it has had on the soccer legend in the decades since.
England and Argentina have had a soccer rivalry for decades
David Beckham battles with Diego Simeone for the ball during the 1998 FIFA World Cup.Tony Marshall/EMPICS/Getty
Tony Marshall/EMPICS/Getty
Despite being on different continents, England and Argentina’s national soccer teams have had a big rivalry for decades.
Victoria told David she was pregnant with Brooklyn the night before the 1998 match
David and Victoria Beckham at the Versace store party in London in 1999.Dave Hogan/Getty
Dave Hogan/Getty
In the 2023 Netflix documentaryBeckham, the athlete’s now-wifeVictoria Beckhamdiscussed the infamous match and revealed that she told David the night before the game that she was pregnant with the couple’s eldest child,Brooklyn.
Victoria explained that David wanted to leave to be with her after hearing the news, but he couldn’t. She said, “I told David the night before the game. He was so, so happy, we both were, and there was never any doubt in my mind that I should tell him. I mean, it was what we wanted and he could not have been happier.”
Beckham was given a red card for kicking a player
Kim Milton Nielsen shows David Beckham of England a red card during the 1998 FIFA World Cup.Mark Leech/Offside/Getty
Mark Leech/Offside/Getty
When England and Argentina met in the round of 16 at the 1998 World Cup, Beckham received a red card with the score at 2-2 and was subsequently thrown out of the game. Argentina’s Diego Simeone initially fouled Beckham, and when Simeone stood up, he rubbed his knuckles against the back of Beckham’s head while the British star was lying with his face down.
In response, Beckham — who was still down on the ground — swung his leg out at Simeone, who then fell over. The referee, Kim Milton Nielsen, gave Beckham a red card.
England lost the match during a penalty shoot-out
Diego Simeone falls under the challenge of David Seaman to win a penalty during the 1998 FIFA World Cup.Doug Pensinger/Allsport/Getty
Doug Pensinger/Allsport/Getty
After Beckham was sent off, England had to play the rest of the game with 10 men against Argentina’s 11. With moments left in the match, England thought they’d scored through defender Sol Campbell, but Nielson blew his whistle because England’s Alan Shearer had fouled Argentina’s goalkeeper, Carlos Roa, before the goal, so the goal didn’t count.
Because it was a tie, the game went to extra time and penalties. Argentina won the penalty shoot-out 4-3 after Roa saved two of England’s penalty kicks, knocking England out of the World Cup.
Beckham faced severe backlash from fans and the English media after the game
David Beckham after the English team’s return from the 1998 FIFA World Cup.EPA/Shutterstock
EPA/Shutterstock
Meanwhile, Beckham received death threats from fans and a Beckham effigy was hung outside a pub in London. When he returned to football with Manchester United after the World Cup, the team’s manager Sir Alex Ferguson was hit with stones and beer glasses, as fans shouted, “We hate Beckham” and “You let down your country," according to theDaily Express.
Paul Scholes, Darren Anderton, David Beckham, Alan Shearer, Paul Ince during the 1998 FIFA World Cup.Matthew Ashton/EMPICS/Getty
Matthew Ashton/EMPICS/Getty
However, Ferguson was one of the first people to offer support. Beckham told Neville, “The morning after, [Ferguson] phoned me early morning and he said, ‘You OK son?’ I said yes, and I think I got emotional to him as well. And he just said, ‘Don’t worry, go away for a few weeks … come back to the club, and you’ve got us.’ That was all I needed to hear."
Simeone later confessed that Beckham barely touched him on the field
Diego Simeone reacts to David Beckham kicking out after a challenge during the 1998 FIFA World Cup.Mark Leech/Offside/Getty
In a 2002 interview withObserver Sport Monthly, perThe Guardian, Simeone said that he deliberately tried to get Beckham sent off. He admitted, “I had tackled him, and we both fell to the ground. As I was trying to stand up that was when he kicked me from behind. And I took advantage of that. And I think any person would have taken advantage of that in just the same way."
The Argentina player continued, “Unfortunately for the English team that time they lost a player. Anyway, you take advantage of all the opportunities you find in your life.”
England and Beckham got their revenge four years later
David Beckham celebrates after winning the 1st round match between Argentina and England during the 2002 FIFA World Cup.Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty
Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty
While England and Argentina played each other in a friendly game in 2000, which finished 0-0, the two teams faced off in the group stage of the 2002 World Cup with Beckham as England’s captain.
Beckham ultimately scored England’s only goal during a penalty kick, and the team won 1-0. As a result, Argentina was eliminated from the tournament. Beckham was redeemed in the eyes of many fans after scoring the winning the goal, withThe Timeswriting the next day that the soccer star “wakes with his halo brighter than ever."
Beckham has been honest about the impact the incident had on him
David Beckham prior to the UEFA Champions League Group D match in 1998.Etsuo Hara/Getty
Etsuo Hara/Getty
In the years since the controversial match,Beckham has discussed the toll the momentand its aftermath took on him. During a July 2020 conversation withPrince Williamon mental health, the soccer player said, “I made a mistake in ‘98 and the reaction at the time was pretty brutal."
He continued, “But I was lucky, I had a support system within Manchester United, the manager and obviously family. But did I feel it was okay at the time to go to someone and say I need help? No, because it was a different era, and I just felt that I had to keep it all in and deal with it myself. Whereas now, I’m the one preaching to my kids and to other kids that I talk to out there that it’s really important to talk.”
Beckham and Simeone have made amends
Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty
In 2002, after Beckham scored the goal to knock Argentina out of the World Cup four years after his red card, he said that he’d buried the hatchet with Simeone.Sky Sportsreported that Beckham said Simeone had tried to put him off before he scored his penalty, but that Simeone acted like a “gentleman” at half-time and shook his hand after the match. Beckham said that the two have a “mutual respect” for each other, with neither holding a grudge.
20 years later, Argentina won the World Cup. While both Beckham and Simeone had long been retired, the British soccer star reportedly posted a photo of him and Simeone on his Instagram Story, perTalkSport. He captioned the photo, “Congratulations my friend."
source: people.com
