Brooklyn Beckham previously attempted to follow in his dad David’s footsteps on the football pitch
Brooklyn Beckham attempted to copy his dad David Beckham’s career path(Image: John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Brooklyn Beckham was destined for fame from the moment he was born. The first child of world-famous superstars David and Victoria, Brooklyn initially attempted to follow in his dad’s footsteps, but his short-lived football career ended during his teenage years.
Manchester United star David was still a future England captain when Brooklyn was born in March 1999. A few years later, his eldest son began to demonstrate the skills he had inherited, impressing coaches in community sessions run by Tottenham Hotspur.
As the family followed David stateside after his move to LA Galaxy in 2007, Brooklyn later joined the club’s academy and also trained at Paris Saint-Germain during his dad’s time with the French side. However, it was after David retired in 2013 that Brooklyn began to forge his own path.
Academy football
In May 2013, it emerged that Brooklyn was training with Queens Park Rangers’ academy, shortly after his dad had called time on his career. The then-14-year-old had also had a trial with Chelsea.
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Mirror Football understands that Brooklyn was a technically gifted centre-midfielder and winger, playing similar positions to his dad, but struggled to integrate with his team-mates. A source who knew Brooklyn during this time recalled that he was shy and would often stand at the back of groups.
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As the son of England’s most famous footballer, his early steps into the sport were monitored by the family’s security team. The unique situation and dynamic contributed to Brooklyn being typically more withdrawn than other players.
On the occasions when David attended training, a source told Mirror Football that the ex-England skipper was always polite, but his arrival created a circus-like atmosphere and disrupted sessions. The fanfare surrounding his dad made Brooklyn appear embarrassed.
It is not dissimilar to the situation that United academy youngster Kai Rooney previously found himself in. The teenager banned his dad, Wayne, from attending his matches because Wayne’s presence would cause a distraction.
Brooklyn subsequently joined Arsenal’s academy as a 15-year-old and was notably named in a U18 matchday squad during his time at the club. Speaking to Goal in 2021, former Gunners team-mate and current Burnley star Jaidon Anthony said of Brooklyn: “It was an interesting time having him. He was a very nice guy and just wanted to be one of the lads.
“To be fair, we took him in as well. He was a good player; he was a right winger just like his dad. He surprised me with his skills.”
David recalled the moment Brooklyn told him he wanted to stop playing football(Image: Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Heartbreaking decision
However, Brooklyn left Arsenal after not being offered a scholarship in 2015, and it marked the end of his footballing journey. In an interview with ABC News, David recalled the heartbreaking moment his son admitted the toll that the constant comparisons with his dad had taken.
“I’d love them [my kids] to play soccer, but I want them to be happy doing it, you know,” David said of his children in 2015. “There was one thing that one of my boys turned around to me the other day, he said, ‘I’m not sure I want to play football all the time.’
“It broke my heart a little bit. He said, ‘Every time that I step onto the field, I know people are saying, you know, ‘This is David Beckham’s son,’ and if I’m not as good as you, then it’s not good enough.’ I said, ‘Okay, stop right there… You play because you want to play. You play because it makes you happy.'”
A few years later, Brooklyn relayed the support that his father had given him in such a difficult moment. “My dad wasn’t sad, because he was like, ‘I just want you to be happy,'” Brooklyn told Variety in 2022. “But of course, I was sad. It was my whole life since I was literally two.”
He added: “To try and live up to what my dad did in football, I was just like, that’s going to be a bit difficult.”
Brooklyn has since publicly criticised his parents (Image: Jeff Spicer/BFC/Getty Images for BFC)
Family feud
The Beckham family dynamic has since shifted, with Brooklyn hitting out at his parents in a lengthy social media post in January. The now-27-year-old accused football icon David and ex-Spice Girl singer Victoria of attempting to “ruin” his relationship with his wife Nicola Peltz, whom he married in 2022.
In an Instagram post, Brooklyn wrote: “I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.
“For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family. The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into.”
He added: “The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards. I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life. I grew up with overwhelming anxiety. For the first time in my life, since stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared.”
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