David Beckham joined eSPORTY for a wide-ranging interview before England’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay – and spoiler alert – he loves Drive!
The former Three Lions captain proved he was a regular listener of Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent as he joined the duo live on air to discuss his career, Thomas Tuchel, and Manchester United.
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Beckham told eSPORTY’s Shebahn Aherne two years ago that he’s always listening to the show and recently heard his ex-England teammate, Bent, recalling how he was welcomed into the camp after his first call-up.
“I messaged you about it,” Beckham began his in-depth chat with Goldstein and Bent.
“It’s really nice to hear ex-England players talk nicely about their time with the team, because you hear so many players come out and say certain things.
“To hear Bent turn around and say the experience of it, being there, the level of the training, the level of consistency, all of the things that Bent was saying…
“It actually made me very happy because obviously at that time, I was obviously England captain and you try to kind of have the right environment.
“You try to do the right things, and you never know whether you’re doing the right things.
“But, I think that hearing Bent speak so highly about it, it made me really, it kind of made me proud.”
Setting standards
The ex-Three Lions skipper revealed his Man United background was the key behind the way in which he set the standards at England.
“To be honest, that was Sir Alex Ferguson and Eric Harrison,” Beckham added.
“When we first went to United, we were 14, 15 years old, and Eric Harrison, who was the youth team coach at the time, he always made sure that we were 20 minutes before a team meeting, 20 minutes before lunches.
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“He’s always telling us to turn up early, you know, two hours before training, and then it followed through with the boss.
“The boss would always say to us, ‘Be down early’.
“As you know, Benty, when you’re with England, us as United players, I think we were always down there early because that’s how we’d been brought up and how we’d been taught to kind of be early all the time.
“And I think I always tried to do that as obviously as a player but I also tried to do it even more so as a captain as well because I think it always sets the right example.
“I think it makes players also feel at ease when, especially when you’re captain, you have to obviously always do the right thing, and like I said before, you’re not always sure you are doing the right thing, but you try to, and I think that that was always my thing.
“I was always at the hotel a few hours before I was meant to arrive, and the players were meant to arrive just so I was there for the younger players that were coming in and obviously the new players that were coming in.
“I think it sets the right example.”
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First impressions of Darren Bent
Much to Goldstein’s chagrin, Beckham had equally as fond memories of that first meeting with Benty as the Drive co-presenter did.
“When Benty came into that squad, and I remember that first training session, when you first go into that training session, and you’ve got young players and new players that come in, there’s obviously a few nerves,” Beckham said.
“I remember Benty going into that finishing session that we had, and it was unbelievable.
“There’s certain things, like when Wazza, when Wayne Rooney came into the squad for the first time, I looked at him, and I was like, ‘He’s a player, he’s a player, this kid’, and he was only 16 years old, and it was exactly the same.
“When you have players come in and straight off the bat, they’re performing at that level in training, they’re playing at a level that not many people do. So, yeah, I remember that, Bent, as well.”
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England’s World Cup hopes
Beckham later revealed he is a big fan of the current England set-up and rates their chances of glory in North America under Tuchel.
“Obviously, with Thomas as a gaffer now, I think we’re in the best place that we can be, in all honesty,” he continued.
“I think we’ve got a very young, talented squad with a great captain leading us in the best of form, probably, of his life with Harry (Kane).
“Obviously, he’s a great leader, and I think Thomas is so meticulous with how he picks the squad, how he runs the squad.
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“He’s obviously had past success in the game, but I think that what he brings is how meticulous he will be with every single detail that the England team actually need to perform in this World Cup.
“I think the players will respond to him because he is a top manager, and I think the way he handles the players, the players will respect, and I think they will react in the right way.
“In my opinion, he’ll not be pressured into picking players that people are trying to get him to pick.
“He’ll pick the team that he thinks will win this World Cup, and I’m looking forward to it, I’m excited about it.”
On Harry Kane
Having played with the likes of Rooney and Ronaldo Nazario in his playing career, Beckham also knows a thing or two about strikers.
Asked where Kane ranks among the best, he replied: “I think we’ve all seen the pictures.
“I met Harry when he was a kid at one of my soccer schools, funnily enough, and there’s a picture of me and, actually, his friend at the time, but obviously, his wife now.
“Harry’s always had that talent, even when he was at Tottenham for the amount of years that he was.
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“I think he’s such an exceptional talent, and I love the fact that he went to Germany. I love the fact that he’s gone to experience life abroad and life in a different country, different culture, playing different football.
“And I think they’re absolutely loving him out there and rightly so because of the way he’s performing. But I think when he comes back, and he brings that maturity, he brings that experience into the squad, I think that’s going to be when you really see what a great captain he is.
“We’ve already seen the captain that he is, and I’ve heard from a lot of players and a lot of managers that have worked with him.
“A lot of the players in the England squad really respect him and really respond to him, and rightly so.”
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Jude Bellingham
Beckham also knows all too well about the noise that surrounds Bellingham, having helped blaze the trail as a Galactico in Spain.
“I think Real Madrid is a monster of a club and you feel the expectations,” he said. “The moment you sign for that club, the expectation is probably like no other club that I’ve played for.
“Obviously, growing up in Manchester, Manchester United is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, club in the world in my mind. But that’s me talking as a Man United fan.
“But Real Madrid, you turn up, you walk into that stadium, you put that shirt on, you look at the history of the club, everything about Real Madrid feels different. I remember my first season and my first game, walking into other stadiums, people look at you different, they treat you different.
“You turn up and it’s a different feeling, it’s an unbelievable feeling. So there’s a certain amount of pressure that comes with that.
“But in all honesty, I loved the pressure. I loved the pressure of going there and trying to prove myself again, because I knew that that’s exactly what I had to do.
“I was a United player from the age of 15 years old and then until 27 years old. I knew that I had to step it up.
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“I had to change my game because playing in a different league, in a different team…
“But I remember on day one, I turn up at the training facility early and I’m really early. And then all of a sudden, Zinedine Zidane walks in, Raul walks in, Luis Figo walks in, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, they all walked in one after the other. I never really get nervous, but I was like, ‘okay, this feels different’.
“I like to be out of a comfort zone and I enjoyed playing there. For Jude, I think it was the right time for him to go.
“I love the fact that he was at [Borussia] Dortmund from a very young age and he still respects obviously what he did at Birmingham and where he started.
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“But then going to Dortmund gave him that opportunity to experience it at a young age. Then going to a club like Real Madrid, that changes everything. That’s a big move. And in his first season, to do what he did, the fans absolutely love him because he’s a worker.
“He’s got the talent and I believe that we have a lot of players in the England squad that are great players, that are good players. But Jude can bring something different. He can do things that other players can’t do. And I truly believe that.
“He’s a great kid. He’s a great player. I really think that him being in the England squad, but it’s been a tough season for him because he’s had injuries. It’s tough to get in and out of that squad once you’re injured and other players come in.
“It’s not like average players are coming in in your place. It’s top players. And then you’ve obviously had different managers as well throughout the last couple of years as well for him. I think he’ll be okay.”
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On Trent’s absence
Beckham reaffirmed that he is a massive fan of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has been crowned his successor at Real Madrid.
The 27-year-old, whose passing ability has often been compared to the Man United legend, was left out of Tuchel’s 35-man squad and hasn’t featured for the Three Lions since last June.
“That’s why I’m not England manager, because I don’t have to make those decisions!” Beckham said of Tuchel’s decision. “But, I’m a massive fan of Trent, I love Trent as a player.
“I’ve heard so many times over the years when he was at Liverpool, when he’s at Madrid, when he’s playing for England, about, ‘Well, he’s not as good at defending as he is (attacking)’.
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“Well, sometimes you have to accept that… Roberto Carlos was an unbelievable defender, but he was also unbelievable going forward.
“He’d always go forward, and then we’d have to cover him, so those kind of things you expect. But with Trent, would I take him? I’d find it very hard not to take someone like Trent.
“But then Thomas, he’s come out and said, I think I read it this morning, that there are other players that are ahead of him at the moment. But he said ‘at the moment’, so that could change.
“I think you said it, tonight [Friday] might prove that other players are playing that might not get in the squad, so you don’t know.
“This is very close to picking a final squad, but I still think that Thomas is probably still considering about Trent as well.”
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Beckham vs Trent on set plays
“I cannot get involved in this,” Beckham joked when put on the spot over who’s a better crosser out of him and Alexander-Arnold.
“I’ll let you guys do it. But I’ve obviously seen Trent for many years now. And I think he’s got a very similar style of crossing and passing to what I had, I think.
“But I’m not one to turn around and say who’s better because I love Trent as a player.”
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Are England going to win the World Cup?
“Absolutely,” Beckham said emphatically. “I’ve always believed that.”
Man United form under Michael Carrick
Another of Beckham’s former England teammates has put himself in the frame to take over the permanent hot seat at Old Trafford.
Red Devils’ interim head coach Carrick has overseen just one defeat in ten matches and led Man United to 23 points from an available 30.
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Asked whether he was surprised by the turnaround, Beckham replied: “I must admit the last few months have been a lot more comfortable than the last ten years, to be honest. It’s been tough over that time.
“But I think Michael’s got experience. I think he’s got a calmness about him that he’s brought into the club.
“He knows the club. He knows the players. He knows the way Man United play and the way Man United should play.
“And I’ve always liked Michael as a coach. When you look at him, there’s a calmness. On the side of the pitch, there’s, I don’t want to say elegance because I’m not sure that’s the right thing to say, but there’s an elegance in the way he is, whether it’s the way he celebrates, whether it’s the way he gets angry. All of those things are important in a manager.
“I think that the way he’s got the team and brought the team together has been incredible. I think as a United fan, it’s exactly what we needed.”
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Retirement feelings
“I miss the playing. I miss the playing in all honesty, because, that’s one thing that every time someone says to me, ‘Do you miss playing?’ Beckham revealed.
“It’s that every single day I miss playing, and I’ve been retired now for 14 years, but every day I think about it.”
Beckham’s favourite goal
“I mean, I’d have to say the goal against Greece. Every time you play that clip, every time I hear that, every time I see it, I get an unbelievable feeling. But, the halfway line was a goal that I enjoyed,” Beckham said.
“I scored a goal against Deportivo La Coruna at Man United, where I kind of whipped it over the top into the top corner from about 40 yards. And that was actually one of my favourite goals as well.
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“But if I had to pick one, I think for the occasion, for what it meant to people, I think for what it meant to me after, you know, a few years before that being sent off, that was the moment for many reasons.
“That’s my favourite goal.”
