David Beckham was left heartbroken after his Brooklyn told him how he felt
13:02, 25 Jan 2026Updated 13:03, 25 Jan 2026
Brooklyn Beckham and David Beckham have had difficulties in the past(Image: )
Brooklyn Beckham isn’t exactly a stranger to upsetting his famous father. Last week, the 26-year-old publicly criticised his parents, Sir David and Victoria Beckham, in a bombshell Instagram post, accusing them of “controlling” behaviour and attempting to “ruin” his marriage to Nicola Peltz Beckham.
Although tensions within the family seem to have been building for several years – especially since Brooklyn and Nicola tied the knot in 2022 – the friction between father and son may stretch back much further, to the moment Brooklyn informed David he no longer wished to pursue football.
Beckham Sr enjoyed an iconic career with Manchester United, Real Madrid and England and hoped his children would follow a similar path. His second son, Romeo, nearly did, spending time at Arsenal’s academy before appearing in senior matches for Brentford’s B team.
Brooklyn, too, displayed talent from a young age, having trained in Arsenal’s youth system. Yet the heavy expectations tied to being David Beckham’s son eventually pushed him away from the sport entirely. Reflecting on his eldest’s choice, David admitted it left him “heartbroken.”
READ MORE: Victoria Beckham’s confession in letter about David is heartbreaking amid Brooklyn falloutREAD MORE: Brooklyn Beckham made feelings clear about Prince William after Prince Harry admission
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“I’d love them [my kids] to play soccer, but I want them to be happy doing it, you know,” Beckham told ABC News 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.'”
While Brooklyn’s difficulties with his father may go back years, the most pointed jabs in his recent Instagram post were directed at his mother. Brooklyn accused Victoria of “hijacking” his first dance with Nicola at their wedding reception, claiming she then danced on him “inappropriately.”
David Beckham – pictured here with his sons Cruz, Brooklyn and Romeo in 2010 – said he would have loved his kids to become footballers(Image: )
He also alleged that the former Spice Girl – now a successful fashion entrepreneur – pulled out of designing Nicola’s wedding gown “at the 11th hour,” leaving the bride to scramble for a replacement.
In that same post, Brooklyn insisted he had no interest in mending ties with his family, describing his parents as “performative” and “inauthentic,” and accusing them of having “relentlessly attacked” him, both privately and through the press.
Two days later, David broke his silence. On CNBC’s Squawk Box, he acknowledged that children “make mistakes” and suggested Brooklyn should have space to learn from them.
Tensions in the Beckham family have been simmering for years, particularly in the wake of Brooklyn and Nicola’s wedding(Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)
“I have always spoken about social media and the power of social media… for the good and the bad,” the former England captain said. “What kids can access these days, it can be dangerous.
“But what I have found personally, especially with my kids as well, use it for the right reasons. It has been the biggest tool to make people aware of what’s going on around the world for children. And I have tried to do the same with my children, to educate them.
“They make mistakes, but children are allowed to make mistakes. That is how they learn. That is what I try to teach my kids… You sometimes have to let them make those mistakes as well.”
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