One of David Beckham’s former England team-mates ended up in Victoria’s bad books with his reaction to the star’s sending off at the 1998 World Cup
Michael Owen found himself in trouble with Victoria Beckham for years following his response to Sir David Beckham’s sending off at the 1998 World Cup.
Owen and Beckham were crucial parts of a formidable England squad that progressed to the round of 16 before suffering a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat by Argentina. During that encounter, Beckham was notoriously sent off for a swipe at Diego Simeone – a moment that transformed him from beloved national icon to public enemy number one almost instantly.
In the subsequent months and years, Beckham found himself at the centre of furious public backlash, with one particularly disturbing incident involving a burning effigy of him displayed outside a pub. Meanwhile, Owen flourished as English football’s fresh-faced poster boy. After netting a stunning individual strike against Argentina and maintaining his prolific scoring form for Liverpool, the youthful forward swiftly filled the void left by Beckham as England’s beacon of hope.
Several years down the line, Owen learnt that Victoria had felt “disappointed” that he hadn’t leveraged his newfound celebrity status to publicly defend her husband during the nationwide condemnation.
“I got wind that Victoria was in some way disappointed in me,” Owen wrote in his autobiography. “She felt, I was told, that while all the limelight was on me after the World Cup, I should have publicly and voluntarily come out and backed David.”
Owen would eventually become team-mates with Beckham at Real Madrid and maintains that he simply didn’t feel experienced enough to offer his fellow countryman support.
He wrote: “I didn’t consider myself senior enough to pat David Beckham – 20 times more famous than I was at the time – on the back and say, ‘Keep your chin up, mate,’ either.
“Whether I thought his actions lost us the game or not didn’t matter. For me, at that time, it was about hierarchy and standing. I was just a junior member of that squad. I was really just a kid.”
Despite arguing that Beckham’s dismissal wasn’t truly justified, Owen claimed the Manchester United icon still disappointed his England colleagues that afternoon.
“David let us down, and I still hold some resentment about it today,” he added. “It wasn’t a red card office, but it was clearly premeditated, it was immature and petulant more than it was violent. For me, that almost makes it worse.
“Did he deserve the abuse he got afterwards? Certainly not. What human being needs to see his or her effigy being burned?”
Beckham, previously jeered at grounds throughout England, would later achieve redemption in magnificent style. In typical Beckham fashion, he stepped up when the pressure was greatest – bending home a breathtaking injury-time free-kick against Greece at Old Trafford in 2001 to secure the Three Lions’ passage to the 2002 World Cup.
Now the 50-year-old has a remarkable record of 115 caps for England and served as the team’s captain for six years. His illustrious career saw him play for United, Madrid, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and LA Galaxy.
Owen, on the other hand, had stints with Liverpool, Madrid, Newcastle, United and Stoke, ending his international career with an impressive tally of 40 goals in 89 appearances. Despite injuries plaguing his later years, he remains one of the most prolific goalscorers in both Three Lions and Premier League history.
On Tuesday, Beckham was officially knighted by King Charles in a ceremony at Windsor Castle, joining the exclusive club of football knights that includes Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Gareth Southgate. Owen was awarded an MBE for his contributions to football back in 2002.