• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
David Beckham listening to commentary of his free-kick vs Greece is emotional

Home> Football

Updated 13:35 6 Oct 2022 GMT+1Published 13:33 6 Oct 2022 GMT+1

David Beckham listening to commentary of his free-kick vs Greece is emotional

David Beckham curled in a last-gasp free-kick against Greece to send England to the World Cup.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

21 years ago today, David Beckham sent England to the World Cup with a stunning free-kick against Greece at Old Trafford.

Sven Goran-Eriksson's side were trailing 2-1 to Greece and a play-off game against Ukraine looked to be on the cards if they were to reach the 2002 World Cup.

The Three Lions captain had already taken five free-kicks from the game and though one of his set-piece crosses with found the head of Teddy Sheringham, who scored an equaliser to make it 1-1, his long-range efforts were not successful.

Advert

With time running out and the 93rd minute rapidly approaching, he whipped in an absolute beauty that nestled past Nikopolidis in the Greek goal and booked England's place in the showpiece.


20 years later, Beckham, for the first time, decided to listen back to commentary of one of his greatest goals and shared the video to his followers on Instagram.

Advert

Alan Green described the drama on BBC Radio 5 Live and Beckham was quite clearly getting goosebumps.

"It had to be Beckham, England's Man of the Match!" was the line Green delivered when the net bulged.

Beckham was a true set-piece specialist and would regularly practice his free-kicks.

Rare footage posted by Scott Allison, a UEFA A licensed coach, shows Beckham taking free-kicks from distance on the Old Trafford pitch, a day prior to England's crunch clash.

Beckham has a number of attempts from an array of angles and distances, with each effort serving as a different stage in finally reaching perfection.

Advert

That comes in the very final strike as the former Manchester United No.7 perfectly finds the net.

Image: Alamy
Image: Alamy

They say practice makes perfect and Beckham's worldie proves that phrase rings true. That moment summed up Beckham as a player and helped create a legacy that means many view him as one of the best English players ever.

Featured Image Credit: Image: David Beckham

Topics: David Beckham, England, Football World Cup

Josh Lawless
Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and WWE. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has covered two WrestleMania events for SPORTbible.

X

@joshlawless_

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

an hour ago
2 hours ago
3 hours ago
17 hours ago
  • an hour ago

    Arsenal take drastic action in Viktor Gyokeres transfer saga and it’s another twist nobody expected

    Viktor Gyokeres' future has been taken another shocking twist

    Football
  • 2 hours ago

    Fans in total disbelief after seeing what the Club World Cup has renamed 'Player of the Match' to

    Inter Miami kicked off the Club World Cup tournament but fans have noticed a big change

    Football
  • 3 hours ago

    Speed finally came face-to-face with Lionel Messi at Club World Cup and what happened next sums it up

    The YouTube star finally came within touching distance of Lionel Messi

    Football
  • 17 hours ago

    Viktor Gyokeres has ‘chosen’ his next club as Fabrizio Romano drops bombshell update

    Sporting star Viktor Gyokeres is in demand.

    Football
  • Why David Beckham never received a knighthood as England legend finally set to be awarded the honour
  • England to wear 'rarely seen' kit against Greece and it's because of David Beckham
  • David Beckham publicly calls out Man Utd stars for behaviour away from pitch in damning assessment
  • David Beckham reveals Sven-Goran Eriksson's last words to him in emotional tribute