2026 FIFA World Cup Countdown: Beckham's Red Card Regret

43 Days to Go: Beckham Becomes Public Enemy Number One

Today, David Beckham is an almost universally loved character – owner of the Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami in the MLS, ambassador for a host of good causes, and our favourite coffee machine advert star, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star has done everything to ensure that he is talked about in a positive light.

However, if we go back in time to the summer of 1998, there was a time when everyone in England would have taken part in a public stoning of the right-midfielder in the wake of the Three Lions' narrow defeat to Argentina in the last 16 of the World Cup.

David Beckham, 1998. pic.twitter.com/A8s1MxIHPW

— 90s Football (@90sfootball) January 21, 2026

Even at the tender age of 22, Beckham was seen as one of the country's star players and was expected to have a big say on the result of the game. However, the impact he ended up having was from the outcome that England fans were after, as just two minutes after half time, he was sent off in the most unnecessary of circumstances.

Everyone makes mistakes, but Beckham’s error in judgement was taken to the next level. Scapegoated by an entire nation, you will be hard-pushed to find a more hated footballer than David Beckham in the late 90s.

Star in the Making

In the lead-up to France 1998, Beckham had emerged as one of England’s brightest stars in generations – a star in Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United side, the wide midfielder had accumulated 31 goals and a whopping 37 assists in the three campaigns prior to the 98 World Cup.

With clamours for the youngster to break into his first major tournament squad, Beckham was quite rightly selected by Glenn Hoddle after a handful of largely unimpressive appearances in some friendly games, and when called up for the World Cup, many expected him to be starting from the outset.

After all, this was a player that, at just 20, had broken into England’s biggest team and taken the English Premier League by storm, with his wicked free-kicks, pinpoint crosses, and, of course, that halfway line goal against Wimbledon – if he was good enough for Sir Alex, then he was good enough for the entire nation.

His trophy cabinet reflected his clearly outrageous ability, as the blonde-haired boy from Leytonstone had already lifted two Premier League titles and an FA Cup, and he had recently been named PFA Young Player of the Year. As such, he was quickly garnering interest from some of Europe’s elite.

Even amongst a squad that contained Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, Paul Ince, Sol Campbell and Paul Scholes, Beckham was seen as a standout, so you can imagine the dismay of the nation when he was named on the bench for England’s Group G opener, a win against Tunisia.

Yes, England got the result; the feeling was that Hoddle should use his best players early on in a bid to get them up to speed and fit for the later rounds ahead, assuming the Three Lions emerged from the group stage.

Hearing the calls for Beckham’s inclusion in the starting lineup, Hoddle partially obliged, but the signs were not encouraging. Coming off the bench against Romania the next game, Beckham was ineffective as England fell to a shocking 2-1 defeat, and suddenly their World Cup campaign was hanging on the final game of the group stage against Colombia.

Hoddle could easily have stuck Beckham straight back on the bench, as his performance against Romania was nothing to write home about. However, knowing what the young lad could do, the coach gave Beckham another chance, and at the second time of asking, he didn’t disappoint.

With the entire country on the edge of a nervous breakdown, Darren Anderton gave the Three Lions the lead 20 minutes in, and just 9 minutes later, Beckham put his seal on things with a picturesque free kick into the corner from 25 yards out. What a way to score your first goal for the England senior team, eh?

David Beckham’s famous free kick vs Colombia 🤩 pic.twitter.com/hocw63Gvd9

— Former Footballers (@FinishedPlayers) February 5, 2025

It was a goal that just reinforced how special he was – what 22-year-old is taking free-kick responsibility in a national team full of legends on the World Cup stage? Much more influential than in his World Cup debut, Beckham had done more than enough to keep his starting spot, and it looked as if England were going to need him there, as next up were old foes Argentina.

Public Enemy Number One

There was no shortage of history between the two nations. Just 16 years previously, the two had engaged in the bloody conflict of the Falklands War, while on the hallowed turf, their last memories of each other in a competitive setting saw Diego Maradona score the destructive duo of the ‘Hand of God’ and ‘Goal of the Century’.

It’s safe to say that neither were in each other's good books, and it showed from early on, as just four minutes in, Argentina was awarded a penalty for a late David Seaman challenge on Diego Simeone, whose role would become important later. The spot kick was converted by Gabriel Batistuta, and England had slumped to a deficit less than five minutes in.

The response was excellent though, and just four minutes later, Michael Owen was brought down when through on goal up the other end, resulting in the second penalty of the game. Slammed emphatically into the top corner by Alan Shearer, England had brought themselves back level and were now in charge of the game.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 On this day, 26 years ago, Michael Owen scored 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 iconic goal against Argentina at the World Cup. 🤩pic.twitter.com/rAkiorYeIc

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Footballtweet) June 30, 2024

The game continued in frenetic vein, and in the 16th minute, Beckham picked out a lovely forward pass to Owen, and the Liverpool striker did the rest. Beating Jose Chamot and Roberto Ayala for raw pace, dispatched the ball into the top corner, leaving Carlos Roa with no chance and handing England the lead for the first time.

Predictably though, another goal would follow, and this time it was for the dark blue of Argentina. Following a clever free kick routine, Javier Zanetti’s rifled finish found the top corner and took the game to half-time at 2-2, arguably the most action-packed game of the tournament so far.

We have no idea what the respective managers said in the dressing room, but it would have been something along the lines of "Slow the tempo down, please; my blood pressure can’t take this.”

So it would have hurt Glenn Hoddle to the core when just two minutes into the second period, Beckham was shown a red card for the softest of flicks on the back of Diego Simeone’s calf, in retaliation for a challenge that, while strong, didn’t cause the young Englishman any harm or damage.

You could see it in Beckham’s eyes – he was devastated and, at the same time, knew that he was going to be the talk of the town for the foreseeable future if England lost, and not in a positive way.

🌎🏆 2026 FIFA World Cup Countdown

Day 57/100: Beckham Becomes Public Enemy Number 1

England's starboy of the late 1990s, David Beckham's petulant flick towards Diego Simeone at the 1998 World Cup turned the tide of the English public.

Gone was the outpouring of support and… pic.twitter.com/2DPIu1dxxL

— Football Park (@FP_CentreCircle) April 30, 2026

England lost – despite a disallowed goal from Sol Campbell and some heroic defending in front of their own goal, the Three Lions were eliminated in a penalty shootout, and a national anti-Beckham campaign began, starting with the Mirror’s iconic paper headline: “10 Heroic Lions, One Stupid Boy".

Effigies of him were hung up outside pubs and abused, his family were threatened, bullets were sent to him through his letterbox, and whenever he was seen in public, the midfielder would have vile comments and hurtful looks hurled his way for more than a year. While it died out after a while, it never truly went away.

Even his Man United teammates felt it, as their team bus was attacked with stones and glass bottles on multiple occasions – not for the result they had just secured, which invariably would have been a win, but because of the hated young man hiding away inside it.

It was the dark side of patriotism – manipulated by the constant nasty headlines of the media, the English football following saw Beckham as a player who had humiliated English football on the world stage, a crime for which he had to be punished.

Remember when The Daily Mirror printed a ‘David Beckham Dartboard’ after his red card against Argentina? 😬 pic.twitter.com/54nA2F4apr

— 90s Football (@90sfootball) March 2, 2026

Beckham himself has come out since and stated that he was clinically depressed during this phase of unanimous hatred, and understandably so, as it didn’t truly go away until three years later, when his magnificent free kick against Greece sealed England’s spot at the 2002 World Cup at the last possible opportunity.

His redemption came full circle when, in the group stages against Argentina of all teams, Beckham scored the only goal from the spot, banishing the demons, the criticism, the hate, and tough times that followed in one massive moment of catharsis.

A lesser man wouldn't have survived the media onslaught Beckham received for his red card in the 1998 World Cup. Amidst death threats and being seen as a traitor, Sir Alex Ferguson, immediately used the Man United club culture as a shield to aid in Becks' recovery. Three years… https://t.co/QYKCw2249y pic.twitter.com/QD2Uh6sfaI

— Oupa (@BlackCarpet_ZA) November 4, 2025

Beckham was fortunate – some players never get that moment and are instead forever remembered for the error they made instead of the lengths they went to to remedy it.

However, it just highlights how important the World Cup is to a nation's society. An event upon which all eyes turn every four years; every nation's outcome has its consequences and ramifications back in their home countries.

Heroes will be worshipped, some teams go down in history, and some players are demonised for the rest of their careers. It may seem cutthroat, and it may seem harsh; that is what football brings out of everyone who watches: raw, reactive, illogical emotion that, whether you like it or not, is almost impossible to suppress.

If anything, it just emphasises how mentally tough Beckham had to be to recover from his petulant challenge on Simeone and the subsequent national fallout. Most would have given up and lost motivation, and their love for the game would slowly fade away.

Not for Beckham. Instead, he used it as fuel, and this deep-rooted desire to prove everyone wrong ended up making him one of the best English players of all time. Of course, he will always be remembered for the juvenile nature of the red card, but now he is equally remembered for the way in which he brought himself back from the brink in one of football’s greatest ever comeback stories.