David Beckham opens up on 1998 WC red card during Prince William's mental health summit

Former England captain David Beckham believes that social media today would have made his “brutal” reaction for the 1998 WC red card vs Argentina even worse. Beckham was joined by a number of English footballers as well as Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti at the Prince William Summit. The purpose of the Prince William Summit was to address the mental health of footballers in the modern game. The conversation about the David Beckham red card vs Argentina followed after an announcement on Monday that all levels of English football signed a joint declaration to make mental health a key priority as a legacy of Prince William’s 'Heads Up' programme.

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David Beckham at Prince William Summit

On Monday, Prince William held a mental health summit with some of football’s biggest names to uncover the pressures on footballers at all levels of the game. The English stars at the Prince William mental health summit included Man City women's captain Steph Houghton, Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings and Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend. Inter Miami owner and ex-England international David Beckham was also present at the Prince William Summit. The Duke of Cambridge spoke about how mental fitness is perceived from grassroots to the Premier League and beyond, insisting that there is a need to revolutionise attitudes of everyone involved.

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Prince William mental health summit: David Beckham red card vs Argentina 

While speaking about his career as an England international, David Beckham joked that he 'feels quite old' now but admitted that the pressure on athletes in this day and age is far greater than in his playing days. The six-time league champion also claimed that he made a 'mistake' with his reaction in the 1998 WC clash against Argentina. Beckham kicked out at Diego Simeone following a foul from the Argentine and was sent off just two minutes into the second half. The David Beckham red card vs Argentina eventually led to the Three Lions crashing out of the tournament in the Round of 16. "Fortunately, there wasn't any social media back in my playing days or else it would have had a significant strain on my mental health", he said. 

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David Beckham England career

David Beckham earned 115 caps for England and scored 17 goals during a stellar international career. One of the most iconic moments Beckham had in an England jersey was his free-kick against Greece in 2001 that helped his nation qualify for the World Cup in Japan and South Korea the following year.

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Image Credits - fifa.com