- David and Victoria Beckham recalled receiving kidnapping threats after the 1998 World Cup.
- At the tournament, David Beckham was sent off in a game between England and Argentina.
- “We were getting kidnapping threats right from when we had Brooklyn,” recalled Victoria.
Victoria Beckham has revealed that she and husband David Beckham received threatening messages about the kidnapping of their first-born son, Brooklyn, following David’s infamous red card at the 1998 World Cup.
In a new, four-part Netflix docuseries focused on David Beckham, his father, Ted, also mentioned that the midfielder received bullets in the mail.
David Beckham received a red card while playing for England against Argentina in the last 16 of the 1998 World Cup after kicking Diego Simeone. Argentina went on to win the game through a penalty shootout, eliminating England.
Brooklyn was born approximately eight months after the incident in March 1999.
“We were receiving kidnapping threats right from when we had Brooklyn, and you can’t even explain how that feels. We couldn’t hide,” Victoria said in episode two of “Beckham.”
“Imagine having a baby and receiving death threats? David had to keep playing, knowing all this was going on, and I was alone in an apartment with a baby,” she added.
David Beckham mentioned that on the night Brooklyn was born, he slept by the door out of fear someone would try to take his son.
“That night, Brooklyn slept next to Victoria. Victoria said, ‘Come and squeeze on the bed with me,’ and I said, ‘Absolutely not,'” he recalled.
“I slept with my head against the door because I was paranoid someone was going to steal him,” he said. “It was meant to be a happy moment, and it was, of course. But I was worried.”
Getty/Mark Leech
Due to his red card, Beckham faced significant blame from fans and journalists for England’s early exit from the 1998 World Cup.
In the documentary, Beckham revealed that he was booed, abused, and spat on by supporters. An effigy of him was even hanged outside of a London pub.
“What I went through was so extreme,” Beckham said in the Netflix docuseries. “The whole country hated me. Hated me. It changed my life. I felt very vulnerable and alone. Wherever I went, I received abuse every single day.”
“People looked at me in a certain way, spat at me, abused me, and said terrible things to my face,” he added. “It was difficult.”
David Beckham’s father, Ted, also recalled his son receiving bullets.
“Kathy found bullets in letters,” said Ted, referring to Kath Phipps, who worked as a receptionist at Manchester United at the time. “So, the club had to involve the police due to the threats he was receiving.”
Phipps mentioned that the incident was so traumatic that she cannot discuss it.
“I would never talk about that,” she said. “Please forgive me, but I would never talk about that.”
The docuseries “Beckham” is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
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