United Archives: Beckham

bloke and a great player. I get on with him really well. People just don't understand Gazza is a normal bloke. He is no different to anyone else. He just needs to be left alone like everyone else.

Looking back at the World Cup, what do you think Glenn Hoddle meant when he said you were unfocused coming into the tournament?
Erm, I think I've said it so many times now that I'd rather not go there. It's all been said and it's all over now.

The two things people remember you for at the World Cup is the Colombia free-kick and the sending off against Argentina. One day you were a national hero and a few days later, you got pilloried?
Well, the World Cup started off badly for me really, then it got a lot better through scoring the free-kick, then came the sending off...

What were the few days after the Argentina game like?
To be honest, I didn't think it would be as bad as it actually got. I flew straight out to New York, which was my way of getting away from everything. But it was hard for my mum and dad. They had, like, 28 photographers camped outside the house.

It must've been horrible for them to see things like an effigy of you hung up by a noose..
I hadn't actually seen that until I watched 'The Trouble with Beckham' recently. I think that was good for me really because I feel I came out of that programme quite well. The next day, people were saying: "Well, what is the trouble with Beckham?" People are just trying to put me down but they've embarrassed themselves putting that on telly. As I said, after it, people were saying: 'Well, what is the problem? He's got a great life, he plays for Man United. Who cares?'