I watched the Netflix documentary on David Beckham recently. It was a well crafted set of episodes.
In his heyday, David Beckham was one of the best right sided midfielders in the world. His right boot was majestic and his strengths on a dead ball (corners, free kicks) are likely unmatched. But he was also a lot more than that – a global superstar whose impact went well beyond football.
My biggest reflection from the documentary was on the theme of trade-offs. His marriage to Victoria Adams / Posh Spice and the celebrity lifestyle came with it ended his career at Manchester United. After a stint at Real Madrid, he then decided to move to the US at a time when the MLS was a shadow of the league it is today.
To continue his eligibility for selection in the English national team, he made his way back to Italy to play for AC Milan on multiple occasions before finishing his career in France.
It all culminated in a fascinating and successful career as a footballer and global superstar. But it also brought with it many “what ifs.” What if he had stayed on at Manchester United?
What if he’d stayed at Madrid for a few more years and so on?
It is hard to escape the thought that he sold his still-incredible football career short. But then again, he was still wildly successful and has since gone from strength to strength as a co-owner of Inter Miami FC (the club Lionel Messi chose to join this year) while amassing half a billion dollars, and still managing to be the family man he’s so fond of being.
The documentary pauses at all of these decisions and examines the trade-offs from different lenses. Many disagreed with many of these decisions – but such is life. It isn’t a popularity contest.
You’ve got to make peace with the trade-offs of your decisions. And, from the looks of it, he seems to have done just that.
