Beckham Magazine - The Sun Interview Pg 3

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BECKHAM: 'IT GOT SO BAD I WAS READY TO QUIT FOOTBALL'
Friday, Aug 29, 2003

-Why do you think you felt like that?
-I was in a place where I felt I couldn’t control things. I’m never, ever like that. I’m always in control of what’s going on around me and what’s going on with my family.

But I just felt that the only way out of this was to leave everything and not play football again. Because that was what was causing me to be unhappy.

It wasn’t my family. It was my work. I felt that it was my problem and it wasn’t fair to put that problem on to them.

Victoria was the only one I actually discussed it with.

-How long did you talk for?
-Hours and hours.

-So it was a really difficult time and conversation?
-It wasn’t just a one-off casual mention. You know, I’m going to retire and then we eat our dinner and go to bed.

It was a proper sit down and lengthy conversation about it.

-Were you upset?
-Yeah, very.

-Was it a tearful time?
-Briefly, yes — because football is my life. Deep down it’s not what I wanted to do. But that was the only way I could see of getting myself out of feeling like I did.

-Do you remember when this was?
-I can’t remember exactly.

-So this is after training. You’re deep in discussion with Victoria?
-It was probably two or three conversations where I’d come home from training and was sat down with Victoria talking about it.

-There’s a moment in the book that is quite surprising – Victoria says she didn’t know how much of it she could take. She was obviously being affected by it as well.
-When it did start to affect the family, that’s when I did decide to sit down and do something about it. I decided to sit down with Victoria. I think that the time Victoria is talking about is just after the World Cup.

Because I remember we went away to Elton John’s place for a week and I remember not showing her any emotion at all. I remember being low but not being able to do anything about it.

-So this is a separate time from the Man U stuff?
-Yeah. Usually Victoria is one of the only people apart from my sons who can actually snap me out of something. But not even she could do it that time.

-In a career with huge highs and lows, this past year you’ve had that and the fallout over the World Cup.
-The past year has been one of my most difficult. Just because of the way I felt. After the World Cup I was young and a lot of things had happened but I felt so strong that I could overcome that and did.

But the last season I think that was one of the hardest times for me. It affected me and it affected my family and I’ve never, never let anything affect my family, never. I felt that I had no control over this.

-People see you as being the perfect couple.
-We are. As strong as me and Victoria are as a couple, there are boundaries and limits and people can take only so much if they are not receiving the love and affection they expect.

-Where do you get that strength of mind?
-I actually don’t know where I get that from — it’s just something I’ve been given. Looking back and reading the book, it even amazes me some of the things that have happened and the way I’ve reacted and come out of things. It’s just God’s gift to me. I don’t know where it has come from.

-Sir Alex seems to feel you have had too many distractions. Fashion, global brand. Does it get too much?
-No I never let it get too much. I have enough people around me to tell me if it ever was getting too much. I will never let it get to that point.

I can totally understand the way the manager thought. When you are a football player, traditionally, all you are meant to think about is football. But for me, personally, I need other things outside of football as well and that’s part of me and part of my life. I totally understand the way the manager was, but this is me and this is the way I am.

-One question David. In the midst of your problems, did you feel it was necessary, either then or afterwards, to seek professional help about how you were feeling?
-No. I’ve got strong people around me that give me help. As much as people will try and say me and Alex Ferguson didn’t get on, we did and he was one of the reasons I remained and became a stronger person after the World Cup.

As much as we had our ups and downs, people have to remember he was a father figure to me for a long time and I’ll always remember that.

As much as people like to think that we are at loggerheads each time we see each other it’s not true.

-How different will your life be now you have moved to Madrid and away from all this?
-I’ll miss a few things. I’ll miss friends, I’ll miss family that can’t get over there all the time, my nan and grandad. I’ll miss pie and mash and jellied eels. Apart from that, I’m looking forward to life in Madrid.

Brooklyn just thinks it’s a holiday. He’s out in the sun and in the swimming pool. He loves it out there, he just wants to be wherever his mummy and daddy are. That makes him happy.

-Do you have any fears about going over to Madrid.
-No fears at all. It’s a challenge that’s an exciting one and a hard one. But it’s a challenge that I put myself up for and I feel that I can go all the way.

-Will the kids go to school there?
-Yeah.

-And Victoria’s career?
-Victoria’s career will carry on like it did when I was in Manchester. She lived in Manchester but she travelled to places when she had to work. She went to London and America and she’ll do the same in Spain.

-She’ll be based in Spain?
-That’s what we have to do. We have to fully commit ourselves to Spain and to Real Madrid and that’s what we’re doing.

-How do you feel about your wife’s singing career?
-The latest record she wrote is amazing music. But I think some people make up their mind unfairly even before she’s even put pen to paper or sung one note. So my respect goes to her because she carries on and on and on.

-Does she have your support?
-She has my full support and she always will have. If she wants to do something, as a husband and a friend I’m behind her.

-What after football? Do you have dreams of America?
-I like America and maybe one day I might play there. At the moment I’m 110 per cent committed to Real Madrid. That’s all I’m thinking about. That’s my future and that’s where my future lies.

After football I want to do soccer schools for kids. Boys and girls. Management, coaching has never interested me. Coaching kids and seeing them develop in life and in sport is the thing that interests me more than anything.

-Amazing – that’s a great ambition.
-It’s because I was given so many helpful things at a young age. And for me to give something back to kids and see kids enjoy sport and football like I do and be given the chances and also to keep kids out of trouble and off the streets. That’s the thing that excites me.