Stream review
New look at the superstar
Netflix documentary: Why everyone suddenly loves David Beckham (and Victoria).
They were still a young couple then: David Beckham and his wife Victoria in the nineties. They will celebrate their silver wedding anniversary in the summer of 2024.
© Netflix
A documentary series on Netflix shows the life of ex-footballer David Beckham. His wife Victoria doesn’t just play a supporting role – for many, the relationship between the two is the real star of the documentary.
David Beckham stands in his kitchen and looks a little surprised as he talks about his evening ritual. “When everyone is in bed, I run around, clean the candles, adjust the lights properly and make sure everything is tidy,” he says. “It’s tedious to clean every single candle, cut the wick. And I clean the glass. The soot on the candle glass is my favorite object of hate. I know, that’s weird.”
It’s not the only unusual insight into the life of the former football superstar that the recently released Netflix documentary “Beckham” provides. In four episodes, the series traces the life of one of the most prominent footballers of the 21st century, from his beginnings at Manchester United to his life as a football pensioner today. Not just in a supporting role: his wife Victoria Beckham. In the end you have the feeling that you have become close to these two people – and that you find them quite likeable.
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham have been married since 1999
Of course, it’s primarily about David Beckham’s great football career, which began in his youth at Manchester United, culminated in winning the Champions League in 1999 (Bayern fans will remember) and then as part of the Galácticos at Real Madrid was continued. But it’s not primarily Beckham’s free kicks and crosses that get really interesting, but rather when he and his wife talk about their lives and their feelings.
The two have been married since 1999, have four children together, and will celebrate their silver wedding anniversary in the summer of 2024. Staying together for such a long time is not a given for any couple, especially not for celebrities. And with David and Victoria Beckham, as the documentary shows, it wasn’t without its downfalls, but the two of them have overcome every problem so far.
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Victoria Beckham is known to many as a former member of the pop band Spice Girls – as Posh Spice – known that she and David met on the sidelines of a United game. It’s sweet how the young footballer puts in a little more effort during the warm-up when he finds out that Posh Spice is in the stadium. And later sits in the car for four hours to see his girlfriend for ten minutes. The relationship naturally attracts a lot of media attention, and the couple and later the children are followed by paparazzi at every turn.
Two who found each other find many viewers who have watched the Netflix series. David and Victoria are interviewed separately, but they still throw balls at each other in a loving and ironic way. Both talk about the difficult moments they had to experience: After his red card at the 1998 World Cup, the whole of England attacked David Beckham and there were death threats. Her husband was “clearly clinically depressed” at the time, says Victoria Beckham. The ex-footballer, on the other hand, still notices how close his memories of those times are to him.
The Beckhams seem to have come to terms with themselves
Victoria still gets angry when she thinks about the chants she received from the less than squeamish English football fans. And sad when she reports on the loneliness she experienced during her husband’s involvement with Real Madrid. Ultimately, however, the Beckhams seem completely at home in the worthwhile documentary by director Fisher Stevens – known as an actor from the successful series “Succession”.
A few times, one gets the feeling, Victoria Beckham had to take a back seat for the career of her footballer husband. Perhaps this is the classic fate of many women in relationships. Maybe it’s just love. At least it hasn’t stopped Victoria from remaining successful herself – because as she says: “I was already famous before I met David.”
“Beckham” is available on Netflix.