Earlier this week, Brooklyn Beckham launched a harsh attack against his parentsDavid and Victoria Beckham, through a lengthy statement on Instagram in which he stated that they had “controlled” him and accused them of “continuously trying to ruin my relationship” with his wife, Nicola Peltz.
At age 14, Brooklyn seemed destined to follow in his father’s footsteps in football when he joined the Queens Park Rangers academy, after trials with Chelsea, Manchester United and Fulham. Less than a year later he moved to Arsenal, but not receiving a scholarship from the club, decided to leave football and dedicate himself to photography.
Tony McCool, who coached Brooklyn at QPR, described the relationship between David and Victoria as a “strange dynamic” and assured that the young man was in a “difficult” situation during his adolescence. “Brooklyn Beckham is being bullied. But I felt sorry for him. I saw some strange behavior as his manager at QPR and I certainly saw his anxiety,” McCool wrote on LinkedIn.
McCool added that, although does not take sideshe witnessed situations that helped him understand the complexity of growing up in such an exposed family. “I may have been wrong in this situation; I don’t agree with either of them because I don’t know them… But I did witness a strange dynamic,” he said. He also noted that his experience left him “funny and sad stories” and that being the son of extremely famous people “does not always lead to happiness”.
The former coach explained that working with Brooklyn made him reflect on The pressure that celebrities’ children face. “Being surrounded by constant security at 14 years old… made me realize that I shouldn’t judge, because I haven’t been in your shoes or your parents’ shoes,” he wrote. McCool concluded with a conciliatory message: “I am sure that they will close ranks and resolve their differences”before adding a wry note: “And David, thank you for giving me back that six pounds.”
David Beckham remembers the moment his son wanted to quit football
In an interview with ABCDavid Beckham spoke about Brooklyn’s decision to leave football. “One of my sons told me, ‘Dad, I’m not sure I want to play soccer all the time.’ It broke my heart,” he said. The young man confessed that he felt the pressure of being compared to him: “Every time I enter the field I know that people say: ‘This is David Beckham’s son’”and that not being up to par was frustrating. David responded that He didn’t want any of his children to play with that pressure..
Years later, in an interview with Variety, Brooklyn explained that her father always told her that the only important thing was that he was happyalthough he acknowledged that leaving football was painful. “My dad wasn’t sad, because he said, ‘I just want you to be happy.’ But of course he was. It was my whole life since I was two years old,” he said. He added that trying to match his father’s career “it would be a little difficult”underscoring the weight of growing up under constant comparison.
