Summary
- David Beckham's documentary has brought attention back to his family life, particularly his marriage troubles during his affair with Rebecca Loos.
- Fans are curious if Beckham's sons will continue his legacy, with two of them quitting football.
- Romeo Beckham has recently signed a permanent deal with Brentford Football Club, while Brooklyn and Cruz Beckham have pursued other interests such as cooking and music, respectively.
- Birthname
- David Robert Joseph Beckham
- Birthplace
- London, United Kingdom
- Current Spouse
- Victoria Beckham
- Members
- Children: Brooklyn Beckham, Romeo James Beckham, Cruz Beckham
- Birthdate
- May 2, 1975
- Height
- 6'0"
Following the release of his bombshell documentary Beckham on Netflix, David Beckham's family life has been a subject of interest again, especially as his alleged former mistress Rebecca Loos speaks out about their affair. The retired footballer's wife, Spice Girls alum Victoria Beckham admitted that their marriage suffered during the 2003 scandal.
Another curiosity among fans is whether the Beckhams' sons are planning to continue their father's legacy. Eight years ago, David got booed for sending the boys to a certain football academy during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show. Here's a closer look at Brooklyn, Romeo, and Cruz Beckham's athletic careers which two of them quit.
David Beckham Got Booed For Revealing His Sons All Went To The Arsenal Football Club Academy
Appearing on the Graham Norton Show alongside Hugh Jackman, David revealed: "Brooklyn, Romeo, and Cruz, they're all in the Arsenal Football Academy." Fans immediately booed him as the club has had quite a flop reputation in the field. Norton diverted the conversation to whether David's sons felt tremendous pressure following in his footsteps.
He then shared a time when he once refereed Romeo's game. "Romeo is the most emotional out of all the kids, actually, so you know, I could say no to him, and his bottom lip goes. So he was playing this game and the referee hadn't turned up so all the parents were looking at me," recalled the athlete.
"So I went on to the pitch and a side referee in the game," David continued. "It was going great. They were winning, and then one of the opposition players went through towards our goal [...] and Romeo went to make a tackle and he missed the ball and took the player down so it was an obvious penalty. And I'm thinking, 'Ah, no. I really don't want to make this decision.'"
As a true sportsman, David gave the penalty despite knowing it would crush Romeo. "So I give the penalty, and Romeo's looking at me and I can see, his eyes are welling up. I can see his bottom lips going," the father of four remembered. "Thankfully," as David said with guilt, the other kid missed the penalty kick.
Romeo Beckham Signed A Permanent Deal With Bentford Football Club
Romeo has grown a lot since his penalty days. The 21-year-old footballer just signed a permanent one-year deal with the Bentford Football Club earlier this year. "We added Romeo to our squad in January and he's been fantastic for the group," Coach Neil MacFarlane told the club's website in June.
"He's had a terrific end to the season in terms of his recent match against Manchester City where he showed what he's learned during his loan with us," they continued. "We've continued to develop him in and out of possession and we look forward to him coming back in good spirits to continue working with him next season."
In a video posted by Brentford, Romeo said the new milestone is "the best feeling, honestly" and that he's "so excited, ready to get started, and have a good next season." Speaking about his first six months with the team, he said: "It's been such a good experience, I've loved every second of it. It's a good group of boys, good coaches. It's a really nice place to be." The decision has reunited to Romeo with his girlfriend Mia Regan in London.
Brooklyn & Cruz Beckham Both Quit Football
Brooklyn and Cruz both played for Arsenal as well. The former, who's now 23 years old, quit the club as well as the sport when he was 16. He felt pressured by the expectations from him as David's son. "To try and live up to what my dad did in football, I was just like, that’s going to be a bit difficult," he told Variety in 2022. He noted that he was more heartbroken about the decision more than his father.
"My dad wasn’t sad, because he was like, I just want you to be happy. But of course I was sad. It was my whole life since I was literally 2," said the eldest Beckham offspring. He's now a "100% self-taught cook" (not a "chef," he noted). On how he discovered his new passion, he told the outlet: "Ever since the start of quarantine, I've done it every single day, and it's the one thing I've found that takes my mind off of anything I’m thinking about."
That year, Brooklyn also married American actress Nicola Peltz. As for Cruz, 18, he's following in his mom's footsteps as an aspiring musician. In 20202, he told i-D that he was working on new music with Poo Bear, known for collaborating with the likes of Justin Bieber.
"I thought I would want to do football and I did that for a bit. At that point, I just decided: this is exactly what I want to do," he said of switching lanes after winning an Arsenal contract. He went on to share that he "even learnt how to play the mandolin for a song that I wrote." Speaking about his career plans, he said, modestly: "I don't think you ever stop learning, but I'm taking my time seeing what happens [...] just making the music I love."
