“David Beckham Was Robbed of That Ballon d’Or” – Inter Miami Owner’s 24YO Heartbreak With Manchester United Laid Bare

David Beckham has come into the spotlight once again after the release of his Netflix documentary, ‘Beckham’. Since its release, several famous personalities have spoken about the soccer veteran’s life, including his former teammates and even the famous British singer Adele. Now on a recent podcast, a popular media personality has suggested that the Englishman ‘deserved’ to win the 1999 Ballon d’Or.

The freekick specialist led Manchester United to their infamous treble in the 1998/99 season winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and of course, the UEFA Champions League in emphatic fashion after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored in injury time to beat Bayern Munich in the final. Those undying fresh memories have been brought back to life.

David Beckham ‘robbed’ of Ballon d’Or despite winning the treble

In 1999, David Beckham finished 2nd in the Ballon d’Or rankings, eventually losing to Barcelona’s Rivaldo, who picked up the prestigious award. This was despite his performances and heroics in leading his club to the treble, also taking the crucial corners that led to United’s goals in injury time against Bayern as the Red Devils eventually won the Champions League trophy 2-1 in added time.

Speaking on talkSport’s podcast recently, Rory Jennings recounted the 1999 Ballon d’Or race and made a few interesting claims. He said, “When Manchester United won the treble and David Beckham finished second, of course David Beckham deserved the Ballon d’Or that year like Rivaldo won it, but Manchester United and David Beckham eliminated Rivaldo and Barcelona from the European Cup. David Beckham was robbed of that Ballon d’Or undoubtedly.”

Rory Jennings’ comments come just after the Inter Miami owner’s docu-series just dropped. On a side note, David Beckham in conversation with his ex-teammates, suggested that his red card against Argentina at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the media frenzy that followed was one of his darkest moments. He further stated that playing for Manchester United was his escape after the incident.

Beckham recounts solace in playing for Manchester United after 1998 World Cup red card

In the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, David Beckham was sent off after a controversial foul on Argentine player Diego Simeone, who is currently the manager of La Liga side Atletico Madrid. England was subsequently knocked out on penalties in the Round of 16 against Argentina as Beckham came under heavy criticism and public outcry in the UK following his red card in the loss.

In conversation on The Overlap and Stick To Football, Beckham said “You know in ’98 obviously it was a it was a tough time for me…..” “Well, Manchester United was my escape.” Nevertheless, despite Beckham’s dark moments in 1998, he did turn his career around immediately the next year by winning the treble. In retrospect, he has had a star-studded career since playing for the likes of Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, and LA Galaxy. But his Ballon d’Or snub in 1999 is probably the closest the Englishman came to winning the iconic award in his longstanding and remarkable career.

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