As emotions run high in soccer, the heat of the game can occasionally spark intense moments. There are instances when these emotions escalate to a point where players and managers find themselves at odds. Remarkably, one such incident has resurfaced, where an angry David Beckham once delivered a furious message to his former England boss at halftime.
Players often resist being substituted during matches, and a similar incident saw Beckham clash with his then-England coach.
David Beckham fired an angry message at former England boss
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This week, Australia will come to London to play a friendly against England. Graham Arnold also returns to face the Three Lions, but this time not as an assistant coach but rather as head coach of Australia. Additionally, the 60-year-old recently sat down for an interview with the Times, where he reminisced about an eyebrow-raising moment about David Beckham.
Two decades ago, Sven-Goran Eriksson’s England faced Australia which was one of the most embarrassing moments in British soccer’s history. Eriksson’s decision to change the whole starting XI during halftime led to widespread criticism. Interestingly, Arnold told how the players were fuming over Eriksson’s judgment to change the full team, especially Beckham.
While praising the Golden generation of Australia having the likes of Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka, Graham said, “We walked up the tunnel and all you could hear was [David] Beckham going to Sven, ‘we’re not f*cking coming off. We can’t be down to 2-0 at half-time and come off.’ Sven still changed the whole team.” While Eriksson may have changed the whole team, he certainly couldn’t change the final scoreboard, as they lost 3-1 to the Socceroos.
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As England hosts Australia at Wembley Stadium, many hope for a different outcome this time. Nevertheless, the story sheds light on an intriguing aspect of Beckham’s history. This incident isn’t the first time Beckham found himself in such a situation during his England career, as he previously faced intense fan backlash after being sent off, shattering his World Cup dreams.
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How a red card forced Beckham to face the fury of fans
During the 1998 World Cup’s round of 16 match between Argentina and England, Diego Simeone’s challenge on Beckham provoked the Golden Balls, leading to Beckham swinging his leg at the Argentinian, resulting in his subsequent red card. This red card ultimately led to England’s loss in the penalty shootout, which, in turn, attracted significant criticism and hate.
During an interview on Sky Bet’s ‘Stick To Football’ show, Beckham revealed that people even invaded his grandparents’ house. Whenever he went out for dinner, fans would spit at him or even punch windows upon recognizing him. Beckham described this period as “tough.” Certainly, another eyebrow-raising revelation about Beckham.
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