David Beckham has revealed that he suffered clinical depression as a result of the hate he received after the 1998 World Cup tournament.
The England midfielder, who was just 23 at the time, received a red card after kicking out at a player during the match against Argentina.
Beckham, who earned the nickname Goldenballs from his designer wife Victoria, was then blamed when England crashed out of the tournament after losing to Argentina on penalties.
Now, Beckham says the amount of hate he received across the nation had a severe impact on his mental health – to the point the star said it “changed his life”.
“What I went through was so extreme,” he explains in his new four-part Netflix series, Beckham. “The whole country hated me. Hated me.
“I felt very vulnerable and alone. Wherever I went I got abuse every single day.”
Beckham also recalls how he was spat at in the streets, deemed ‘stupid’ by the tabloid press and booed in stadiums. One London pub even burned an effigy of the star.
Beckham’s wife of 24 years, fashion designer Victoria, added she believed her husband suffered depression as a result of the vitriol.
“I mean, the absolute hate, the public bullying, to another level,” she told cameras. “He was depressed, absolutely clinically depressed. I still want to kill these people.”
Beckham also opened up about how allegations of infidelity had a huge impact on his mental wellbeing.
In 2004, Beckham’s former PA, Rebecca Loos, claimed in the News of the World paper that she had had a four month affair with the footballer after he was transferred to Real Madrid the previous year.
Beckham has always denied the reports, but now admits in his new documentary that it put his marriage to Victoria under immense pressure.
“There were some horrible stories that were difficult to deal with,” he said. “It was the first time that me and Victoria had been put under that kind of pressure in our marriage.
“We were not only losing each other but drowning.”
Close to tears, Beckham adds: “I don’t know how we got through it, in all honesty.
“There were some days I would wake up and think, ‘How am I gonna go to work, how am I gonna walk onto that training pitch, how am I gonna look as though nothing’s wrong?’ I felt physically sick every day when I opened my eyes, ‘How am I gonna do this?’”
Victoria agrees it was by the far the hardest time in their marriage.
“We were against each other if I’m being completely honest. When we were in Spain, it didn’t really feel like we had each other either.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how hard it was. And how it affected me.”
Beckham is now available to watch on Netflix.
