FOR a man who once captained England and wore Manchester United’s famous No.7 shirt, David Beckham’s most cherished role has long been that of a father.
So, it’s no surprise that his ongoing feud with eldest son , 26, is currently causing him so much .
The family haven’t spoken publicly about the rift, but over the past few weeks, nor even publicly wish him a happy birthday, have laid bare the troubles tormenting the famous family.
And what makes it all the more unbearable is that – having once had a bitter fallout with his own dad, – we’re told that David is now terrified at the prospect of “history repeating itself”;.
David and Ted may be on good terms now, but the once inseparable father and son had a strained relationship for four years, and for a time weren’t even on speaking terms .
It was only after Beckham Sr had a near-death health scare in 2007 that the pair made amends, and have since made great efforts to make up for lost time.
But, as David himself has said, time is crucial when it comes to spending time with loved ones, and they’ll never get back those lost years.
Now, as days turn into weeks in his row with Brooklyn – who’s reportedly furious that younger brother, Romeo, 22, is dating his ex-girlfriend, Kim Turnbull, 24 – the dad-of-four is apparently beside himself with worry over what the future holds.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, a family friend close to the Beckhams reveals: “David and the family genuinely fear Brooklyn could be lost to them forever.
“The word ‘lost’, here, is especially poignant as it was the exact sentiment used when David fell out with his dad. Ted believed his son would never speak to him again, and he was heartbroken.
“It was an extremely tense few years, and devastated the whole family.”;
Looking back at his childhood, David has always credited his dad with instilling in him an obsessive love for football – and for Manchester United.
Ted, who worked as a kitchen fitter, would often drive his son from their home in Leytonstone to his training grounds.
After David signed with Manchester United’s youth team aged 14, his dad and mum, Sandra, would travel 200 miles every weekend to see him play – often accompanied by his sisters, Lynne and Joanne.
As the only boy, David was his dad’s chance at realising his own football dreams, and he famously collected every award and trophy his son won, and every football strip he wore.
As both David and Ted have reflected, the latter’s life revolved around David’s burgeoning football career.
They were best friends for such a long time, but Brooklyn always felt the pressure of being Beckham’s eldest son
Still, despite their closeness, David previously said his dad was tough on him – in the pursuit of perfection on the pitch.
Speaking in his Netflix documentary last year, he said that Ted had encouraged him to train morning to night, paying him 50p for every target he hit.
“Even when I was seven or eight years old, he’d boot the ball up as high as he could and say ‘control it,’”; David remembered.
He added that his dad would then say, “‘OK, not good enough, do it again... Not good enough, do it again’ over and over again.”;
When David became Manchester United’s star player, Ted’s dreams for both him and his son were fully realised.
So, he was subsequently devastated when David was transferred to Real Madrid in 2003 – a move that initially drove the first wedge between them.
Ted later said he learned about the transfer from David’s agent, adding the news hit him “like a sledgehammer”;.
He lashed out at footie manager Sir Alex Ferguson and accused him of betraying his son, prompting outrage from David.
Having survived one father/son estrangement, the last thing David would want is to suffer another – it’s such a horrible situation
The footballer hit back by refusing to let his dad come watch him sign for the new team.
As Ted said at the time: “I don’t know if I can repair my relationship with him.”;
He added: “We’ve hardly spoken. My biggest upset was not being invited to his signing. I’m choked, really.
“I’ve been there since day one and that really upset me. I’ll never forgive him for that.”;
‘We just drifted apart’
Things only got worse from there as – with David based in Spain – the distance grew between them.
Then, in 2005, Ted dropped a figurative bomb, by releasing his biography David Beckham: My Son.
According to reports, David was left blindsided, as he hadn’t been consulted or briefed about the book’s contents before it went to publication.
Inside the book, Ted suggested that David’s fame and fortune had contributed to his split from wife Sandra in 2002.
“All the hype, all the stress, all the attention – it wasn’t a world we were used to and it was very tough,”; he wrote. “By the end, all we had in common was football. We just drifted apart.”;
He also said he’d previously been concerned, when David first met Victoria, that the then Spice Girl’s influence would take his eyes off the ball and derail his career.
The book prompted a fall-out of heartbreaking proportions, as the pair completely stopped speaking – even when David sent his dad tickets to watch him play in the World Cup in 2006.
He made the gesture, but made it clear that he had no intention of seeing him at the event.
Yet everything changed again a year later, after Ted suffered a near-fatal heart attack.
The then 58-year-old was later told he had briefly “died”; in the ambulance on the way to hospital, while paramedics fought to save him. He later had surgery to unblock an artery.
David adores his son and there will always be a way back for him should he choose to take it
As for David – who was living in LA at the time and playing for LA Galaxy – the shock was what he needed to make amends with his dad.
He immediately flew home and spent hours by his bedside, before both Beckhams made a pact to repair the damage between them.
In the aftermath to Ted’s health scare, David tried to make his dad’s life easier for him – paying off his mortgage and buying him a new Jaguar.
And thankfully for everyone involved, they’ve been on solid ground ever since. David even served as Ted’s best man in 2021, when he married his second wife, Hilary Meredith.
The former footballer beamed in photos with his proud dad, and has since doubled down on their repaired relationship, often posting Father’s Day tributes to the man who gave him his love for the beautiful game.
History repeating itself
But now, 18 years since David repaired one painfully fractured relationship in his life, another one is getting deeper.
Up until last year, the Beckham brood were famously unbreakable.
Since becoming young parents, David and wife Victoria have publicly celebrated and platformed their children – Brooklyn, 26, Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 30 – and have always prioritised spending quality time together, even when work has briefly kept them apart.
As his firstborn, David’s always had a special connection with Brooklyn, whom he calls Buster, while the influencer has always idolised his dad – despite the fact that he’s copped some flak in the past for living in his shadow.
One family friend tells The Sun: “They were best friends for such a long time, but Brooklyn always felt the pressure of being Beckham’s eldest son and not always knowing what he wanted to do with his life.”;
David and the family genuinely fear Brooklyn could be lost to them forever. The word ‘lost’, here, is especially poignant as it was the exact sentiment used when David fell out with his dad
Still, dynamics changed when Brooklyn met his now wife, Nicola Peltz.
But even amid rumours that she had driven a slight wedge between them, after the pair got married and settled in the States in 2022, the family have continued to put on a united front.
Sadly, that all changed late last year, after Romeo first went public with model and DJ Kim, who briefly dated Brooklyn when they were teenagers.
As The Sun has reported, Brooklyn and Nicola are outraged that Kim is back on the scene, and her presence at all family events has driven a massive wedge between them.
Last month, Brooklyn failed to wish Victoria a happy birthday. He then didn’t attend David’s early birthday celebrations in Miami.
The Beckhams, for their part, didn’t publicly acknowledge Brooklyn and Nicola’s wedding anniversary in April.
Earlier this month, David turned 50, and held a raft of festivities in France, the Cotswolds and London to celebrate.
He also whisked his other sons, Romeo and Cruz, away for a male-bonding fishing trip in Scotland – but was reportedly gutted when Brooklyn declined.
Brooklyn and Nicola flew to London last week and told his parents they were willing to see them privately, without Kim in attendance.
But David’s said to have put his foot down and insisted he’d only see them if they came to his official celebrations – so they left without any contact.
According to our source, granddad Ted is just as worried about the estrangement as his son – as he knows the pain it can cause.
We’re told: “The last thing David and Ted want 20 years later is for history to repeat itself. David adores his son and there will always be a way back for him should he choose to take it.
“But having survived one father/son estrangement, the last thing David would want is to suffer another – it’s such a horrible situation.”;
Doting dad
Speaking years ago about his proudest role to date – as a doting father of four – David said that “quality time”; means everything to him.
“When my kids were small, I didn’t want to miss a second,”; he told Esquire. “Of course, there were times that I couldn’t be there.
“I also realised pretty quickly that there are never enough hours in the day to do all the things we want to do with our kids. So long as we make whatever time available to us quality time, where we are present as dads, we’re winning.”;
No doubt the decorated former footballer doesn’t feel like he’s winning right now. Here’s hoping he doesn’t get a red card from his son for good.
