Tatler Asia sits down with David Beckham, ten years after his retirement from the beautiful game, to talk Netflix, Messi and legacy
Just when you think you know everything there is to know about David Beckham—now the subject of an upcoming Netflix documentary—you realise how much you’ve missed. The sportsman, considered by many the greatest English footballer of his generation, has transformed from sportsman to brand spokesperson to fashion brand owner and even American soccer club owner. His level of fame is undeniable and almost incomprehensibly extensive. In 2008, on his first visit to conflict-ravaged Sierra Leone as a Unicef ambassador, despite having never visited the country before, was mobbed by children a quarter his age.
Living in the public eye often means sacrificing privacy, yet social media has allowed celebrities like Beckham to regain some control by choosing when and how to share unfiltered glimpses of family life (see those Beckham family TikTok moments). A documentary is a different beast, and less easy to control; but Beckham’s decision to share his life story marks a reclamation of his image, one open to—and inviting—outside participation.
Tatler first met Beckham in May, when he was in Macau for the opening of The Londoner Macao, for which he is a long-term brand ambassador and has designed a number of suites. “Working with Tatler Asia was always something I was excited about. I’ve been coming to Asia for the last 25 years, so it’s always nice to be there, but obviously I’m very honoured to do the front cover of [an important] magazine.”
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We met again last month in his Central London office to talk about his upcoming docu-series Beckham, set to premiere worldwide on Netflix on October 4. In it, he shares his life story—in his own world.
“Many friends have suggested a life documentary,” he says, “but the timing was always up to me. And with this year marking the tenth anniversary of my retirement from football ... it feels perfect.”
Was the process difficult for him? “I’ve got to be honest: it was a real challenge. Not the toughest thing I’ve ever faced, but definitely a challenge. It was revisiting my own life story, and that can be a lot. I watched it with my wife, and we turned to each other and said, ‘We need a break! We’ve been up to so much in the past couple of years.’ But beyond that, I felt a sense of pride in what we have accomplished with the documentary. It’s incredibly personal, but I believe a life documentary has to be personal; if you leave anything out, viewers feel like they’re missing something. This was my chance to tell my stories in my own words.
Sure, others have shared their versions, but I wanted to give my perspective, share the raw truth, what I was going through at the time—you know, the real deal. And honestly, we’re pretty pleased with how it turned out.