Book: David Beckham
This book covered all those major moments of his football life. From his childhood, how he got his work ethic from the family background, where his love for Manchester United is from, to the “infamous” tragedy in 1998 World Cup, last 3 minutes vs Bayern Munich in 1999 UEFA Champions League final, 2002 revenge to Argentina, to the final match as a football player. In a very personal story telling way, as if he’s sitting there talking to you. I’ve watched some of his talks before, gentle, humble, honest. You would enjoy this book if you are a fan of David Beckham for sure.
I still remember the 1998 World Cup England vs Argentina match, vividly. I was just about getting 15, the good age to be able to fully enjoy the football match, just started to understand the tactics of teams and skills of individuals. That year was special to me, and what made it more special was that match.
As Beckham wrote himself, after he was provoked by Argentina player Simeone and got sent off the pitch, and then was blamed for the lose of the game, “I was the most hated man in England”. There’re people, super skilled, super smart, but they just like the dirty plays and mental tricks, Simeone is one of them, to me at least. And Beckham as the inexperienced player that year, paid the price, he suffered a lot. What made it worse was that his families were also involved in that national hatred. There was an envelop with bullets in it sent to his house. His dad was yelled by a stranger in the street. During that dark era was his teammates and his club, Manchester United and its supporters embraced him. You would thank the past self that you’ve had done something with your full heart and earned those respects and people around, that one day when you really need a hug, they would come to you.
I would also like to mention about his work ethic. He wrote in the book that throughout his career he had been getting this criticism that he’s more of a fashion star rather than a football player. Maybe it’s because his handsome look, maybe because he married to a fashion star, but people may not know that how much effort he had put into training and practicing. Those free kicks are not luck. That’s a natural consequence. He started practice earlier than everyone, and stayed late than everyone in the team. Rainy days, snowy days, all the same.
Confidence is a funny thing. People often say that you need a lot of luck to win. But, for me, confidence comes down to preparation. When you have practiced something so much that is has become a part of who you are. Second nature.
When Beckham talks about free kicks and confidence.
Football is a sport, but in many ways, it’s also an attitude to life. To me Beckham made a huge positive influence on/off the pitch, to his supporters and enemies.
Note: The kindle version of this book is unlike the normal ebook, more like scanned and turned it to a pdf, has the original book layout but it also makes it terrible to read on laptop/phone, and can’t highlight or keep any notes. A hardcover book is recommended.
