David Beckham has revealed that he had to wait over two decades for his father’s approval – only getting told “You’ve made it, boy” after he had earned 100 caps for his country.

Beckham is one of England’s most celebrated and loved footballers, eventually earning 115 caps and winning six Premier league titles, the Champions League and La Liga in Spain with Real Madrid. Speaking in an interview with James Corden on his podcast series, This Life of Mine, he said his drive and desire in football and business comes from decades of wanting to please Ted, his father.

Beckham, 48, said: “My dad never told me I’d done well really until my hundredth cap. That was the first time my dad turned around to me and said, ‘you’ve made it boy’. He said he didn’t get the same recognition at any other point in his career despite six Premier League titles, two FA cups, four Community Shields and a Champions League title.

He added: “It was the moment that we sat at dinner after I’d won my hundredth cap in Paris and he put his arm around me, and said, ‘you made it, boy.’ Speaking on his Netflix documentary last year, Beckham insisted his dad’s harsh treatment had helped him when he was abused by fans after being sent off in the World Cup and blamed for England’s exit in 1998.


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David Beckham and his mother and father
He waited over two decades for his dad’s approval ( 
Image:
Press Association)

He said: “I think I was able to handle being abused by the fans. I think I could handle it because of the way my dad had been to me. My dad was absolutely obsessed with United. His dream was to have a son that played for Manchester United. My dad would take me out for hours. Left foot, right foot, over and over again and it was all about control. He would boot the ball up and say ‘not good enough, do it again’.”

Ted Beckham is then shown saying: “I was hard but it turned out to be the right thing.” In the new podcast interview Beckham told Corden that he and his two sisters were raised by two hard-working parents in a home with a “lot of love” but said that his father always pushed him to do more at his Sunday league football team.

He said that he hasn’t been as tough on his own children and admitted that he is “a lot softer” with Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper.