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If you haven’t watched a single minute of soccer in your life, you still know who David Beckham is – even if you don't know who David Beckham's son is. That’s the status he has raised himself to, and it was his career in soccer that allowed him to reach it.
He was exceptionally good at the game, even though he might not admit it. He was part of not one, but two golden generations: one for Manchester United, the other for England. The United side of things went far better than the England side, although that’s less a slight on him and more the way things work for England in international football. Even so, he had his moments for club and country, and he has become an absolute legend of the game.
That status as a legend of the game, his personable nature, and shocking good looks have allowed Beckham to become an entrepreneur, model, and a brand unto himself. Again, however, it all started with soccer.
So now, as a family man with three sons who are all coming of age, he finds himself in an interesting situation. His sons are all undoubtedly going to be given the best chance to be successful, but that hasn’t stopped them from questioning if they want to pursue that success via the same avenue that their father did. In a recent interview with ABC News, Beckham spoke about this situation with his sons.
“One of my boys turned ‘round to me the other day, he said, ‘Daddy, you know, I’m not sure I wanna play football all the time, because , you know’ — It broke my heart a little bit — he said, ‘every time I step onto the field…I know people are saying this is David Beckham’s son, and if I’m not as good as you than it’s not good enough…’
“and I said, ‘Ok, stop right there…you play because you wanna play. You play because it makes you happy.’”
David Beckham’s son came to him and told him that the pressure of being his son was ruining his enjoyment of the thing that made Beckham who he is today. This is hardly the first time that a child has gone through something like this when following in his or her parent’s footsteps. Beckham handled the situation with an immense amount of grace: he reminded his son of why he plays the game. In doing so, he reinforced the notion that he has got to pay attention to what he thinks about things, and not what everyone else thinks.
David Beckham's son Romeo is following in his father's footsteps. (Photo: @BuzzFeedSports | Twitter)
Obviously that is only one lesson in a long line of things that Beckham and his wife will attempt to teach their kids, but for a family that is raised in the spotlight, constantly scrutinized by social media and public opinion, that lesson might be the most important.
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