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A few weeks ago, Victoria Beckham—a.k.a. Posh Spice from the Spice Girls—had a candid conversation with E! News. During the conversation, she talked about the beginnings of her relationship with the legendary soccer player David Beckham. Victoria said, “We were very working class…” and David popped his head into the room and demanded the truth. “Be honest,” he said. He finally got her to admit she wasn’t working class. Yes, her parents worked hard, but her dad also drove her to school in a Rolls-Royce. She isn’t Posh Spice for nothing. While David and Victoria may not have “working class” families in common, he does share his humble beginnings with Lewis Hamilton.

On October 4, Netflix released ‘BECKHAM,’ a four-part documentary series about the life of David Beckham. That weekend, the former England captain headed to Doha to watch Formula 1 in action at the Qatar GP. Apart from catching up with the spouse of another Spice Girl, he caught up with Lewis Hamilton too. And, well, their meeting was filled with nostalgia for the seven-time champion.

Lewis Hamilton bonded with David Beckham at the Qatar GP

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The UK is a country where sports thrive. Sport is like a religion there, and the players are like the common folks’ gods and goddesses. Hamilton and Beckham are two extremely loved personalities, not just because of their mind-boggling talent and achievements, but also because of their personalities and characters. It takes hard work to achieve the kind of success they have. But as important as hard work and discipline are, so is having that support from the ones closest to you. That’s precisely what the two stalwarts bonded over.

When Hamilton was just two, his parents—Anthony Hamilton and Carmen Larbalestier—split. The family had just enough money to get by. So when Anthony saw Lewis fall in love with motorsport at 6, he knew he had to change something to help him fulfill that dream. He quit his job as an IT manager and became a contractor to support Lewis’ career more easily. He often worked multiple jobs, too. Ultimately, though, he helped Lewis achieve the success he now has. It’s a story that’s strikingly similar to Beckham’s.

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In his documentary, Beckham’s mother, Sandra, said, “We didn’t have much then.” Beckham added, “I saw my mom and dad working hard every day until 11:00 at night, 12:00 at night. I knew the only way to be a professional footballer was to work hard.” Work hard he did, so much so that soccer became an obsession. An obsession that led to him becoming one of the best footballers in the world. When Hamilton and Beckham met up at the Qatar GP, the seven-time champion revealed he was watching BECKHAM. Hamilton said, It’s a beautiful story. I’ve just started watching it, and it’s really, really cool seeing your dad and your mum talking. That’s like the real stuff. It was cool, though, for me. I’m starting to see some of these clips… when I was growing up and watching you, and you were first coming in. So it’s really cool.

Read More: “Forgot David”: Soccer Sensation Beckham Gets Ignored as Lewis Hamilton’s Superfan Tops Lando Norris’ Exclusive List

As Hamilton and Beckham engaged in emotional, nostalgic talk, Hamilton’s teammate joined the two and pulled Beckham’s leg.

George Russell may have brought back bad memories for Beckham

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Beckham and Hamilton’s conversation hit everyone right in the feels, but George Russell entered the chat and took it in a different direction. While Hamilton’s conversation might’ve left Beckham teary-eyed, George Russell may have left Beckham crying sand and angry tears. After joining the two, Russell said, “I was up until 3 a.m. watching your documentary last night. I love it. It’s really, really good. I really like how it’s produced and directed.” But what he said next was what Beckham wouldn’t have wanted rehashed.

Russell said, “Never a red card as well!” If there’s one moment Beckham could erase from history, it would be getting that red card at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. During England’s Round of 16 game against Argentina, Argentina captain Diego Simeone fouled Beckham. The then-23-year-old kicked Simeone and got shown a direct red card. England eventually lost the game, and most pinned the blame on Beckham. What followed was the most difficult time in his life. In his documentary, Beckham said, “I wish there was a pill you could take to erase memories. I made a stupid mistake. Changed my life.” 

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What do you think about the connection Lewis Hamilton and David Beckham share?

Written by

Aditi Krishnan

757Articles

One take at a time

Aditi is an F1 writer at EssentiallySports and is essentially a sportsperson. She fell in love with F1 in 2020. It happened when her brother tuned into that first race weekend in Austria, and she knew right then and there that she had to learn everything she could about the sport.
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Edited by

Akash Pandhare