A call from David Beckham, according to Harry Maguire, “meant everything” after being booed by Scotland supporters.
In the 3-1 friendly victory in Glasgow last month, the England center-back scored an own goal as a substitute, and unfortunately, every touch he made was applauded.
“I actually spoke with David about three weeks ago, after the game,” said Maguire, 30.
“He got in touch with me so it was really nice of him and I really appreciated that.”
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It meant everything, the Manchester United defender continued. Throughout my professional life, I’ve mentioned how David Beckham was someone I admired and followed when I was a young lad.
Harry Maguire commends David Beckham for his guidance on the job
“His attempt to contact and message me demonstrates his impeccable manners. I genuinely appreciate it for what it was. Really, that was touching.
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Beckham, who has 115 total caps for England’s men’s team, led his nation for six years starting in 2000 and participated in two World Cups as its captain.
He kicked out at Diego Simeone of Argentina during the 1998 World Cup and was then dismissed. Following the team’s subsequent loss on penalties in the round of 16, Beckham came under fire from supporters who held him responsible for England’s elimination.
In his most recent Netflix documentary, he claimed that “the entire country hated me.” “I experienced abuse daily, everywhere I went. In a mess, I was.
“He reminded me of the career I’ve had so far and the significant moments I’ve had in my career,” continued Maguire.
Every career is so up and down, especially when you reach the level that I have, which is three and a half years as captain of the biggest club in the world. He understands what it’s like because he has been there.
When he transferred from Leicester to Manchester United in 2019 for £80 million, Maguire was the most expensive defender in the world. He has 59 England caps and seven goals for his country.
But since the arrival of Erik ten Hag as manager in 2022, he has had difficulty getting into games at Old Trafford, even losing the captaincy.
After a £30 million transfer fee was agreed upon by the two parties, Maguire was poised to join West Ham this summer. However, he opted to stay and compete for a spot in the starting lineup.
When questioned about the decision subsequently, Maguire responded, “Regular game time is vital to me and has been throughout my career.
“Neither of the teams nor I had previously agreed to my possibility of moving to West Ham. We didn’t go far enough down the line, so the opportunity wasn’t really there. West Ham is a very large club. I want to compete for my spot, but I value my game time.
Due to injuries in the United team, the defender has been playing more recently. Last Saturday, he started and provided an assist for Scott McTominay’s game-winning goal as Brentford lost 2-1 in the Premier League.
Even the top athletes in the world, according to Maguire, face criticism.
“I have had some huge plaudits over the years playing for my country,” he stated.
“Probably not for the past year or two, but during the previous five, I was receiving a ton of praise.
“That’s how football works; that’s how it goes. You can’t just keep competing at the highest level without facing criticism. Only the top players in the world—likely Messi and Ronaldo—can accomplish that, and even they struggle sometimes.
Over the past year, there has been a lot of discussion about me. You must have established yourself as a top performer, like I have over the preceding five years, in order for that dialogue to take place.
“Over the past year or two, things haven’t gone as planned, but I’m confident that things will turn around.
“The road to a career is long. Many ups, many downs, it definitely has been a tiny blip and I am trying to be back to where I was.”
Following his treatment in the Scotland game, Maguire’s mother made a message in support of her son.
“The last year has been a little bit difficult for them to enjoy the games as they did in the previous eight or nine years of my career,” he stated.
“I have no doubt that will alter. I’ll continue to put in a lot of effort, contend for my position, and make things right.
On Friday, England plays a friendly match against Australia. Four days later, England plays Italy in a European Championship qualifying match.
