After being jeered by Scotland fans, Harry Maguire says a call from David Beckham “meant everything” to him.
During the international friendly match that England won 3-1 in Glasgow last month, the center back for England scored an own goal as a substitute, which ironically led to the crowd cheering for every touch that he took.
“I actually spoke with David about three weeks ago, after the game,” Maguire, who is now 30 years old, stated.
“He got in touch with me so it was really nice of him and I really appreciated that.”
In addition, the defender for Manchester United stated, “It meant everything. When I was a kid, David Beckham was someone I admired and looked up to, and I’ve mentioned it many times during the course of my professional career.
“It demonstrates what a gentleman he is to make contact with me and to message me. It was something that I have a lot of respect for. It was very heartfelt and moving.”
Beckham is the third-most capped men’s player in England’s history with 115 international appearances. He captained his country for six years beginning in the year 2000 and led them in two World Cups during that time.
After kicking out at Diego Simeone of Argentina during the 1998 World Cup, he was given a red card and sent off the field. Beckham became a target for abuse from supporters who blamed him for England’s elimination when the squad went on to lose the match in the round of 16, which was decided by penalty kicks.
In the most recent documentary that he released on Netflix, he stated, “The entire country hated me.” “It didn’t matter where I went, I was verbally abused every single day. I was a total disaster.”
Maguire continued, “He brought to mind the career I’ve had to this point as well as the major turning points I’ve experienced in my career.”
“I believe that when you’re going through challenging times, you need to focus back on previous experiences and recollections, as well as where you’ve gone in your career and what you’ve been through.
“Every career is filled with so many ups and downs, especially when you reach what I’ve reached in terms of being the captain of the biggest club in the world for three and a half years,” she said. He’s been there before and understands what it’s like to be in that situation.
Maguire has been capped 59 times for England and has scored seven goals for his country’s national team. In 2019, he became the most expensive defender in the world when he moved from Leicester to Manchester United for a fee of £80 million.
However, ever since Erik ten Hag was hired as manager of Old Trafford in 2022, he has had a difficult time getting playing time there. In fact, he even had the captaincy taken away from him at one point.
After agreeing to a transfer fee of £30 million, Harry Maguire was expected to join West Ham United this summer. However, Maguire decided to remain with Leicester City and compete for a spot in the first squad.
When queried about the switch a little while later, Maguire responded, “Regular game time is important to me and has been throughout my entire career.”
“Both teams, as well as myself, were unable to come to an agreement over the possibility of my moving to West Ham. Because we did not proceed far enough down the line, the true chance did not present itself. The club West Ham United is extremely large. I want to compete with the other guys for my position, but I also need to get some playing time.”
Because of injuries to other players in the United squad, the defender has been getting more playing time as of late. He started for the team on Saturday and assisted Scott McTominay on the game-winning goal as United defeated Brentford 2-1 in the Premier League.
Even the top players in the world are subject to criticism, according to Maguire, who acknowledges this fact.
“I have had some huge plaudits over the years playing for my country,” he told reporters.
“It hasn’t been like that for probably the last year or so, but for the previous five years, I was getting a lot of recognition.
This is football, and this is how the game is played. You can’t just keep playing at the highest level without drawing attention to yourself. That is something that only happens if you are the best player in the world, which are undoubtedly Messi and Ronaldo, yet even then, they are still criticized just like everyone else.
“Over the course of the past year, there has been a great deal of conversation pertaining to me. To be eligible for that discussion, you have to have established yourself as a high performer during the preceding five years, just like I have done. Only then will you be considered for it.
Things haven’t exactly gone according to plan over the course of the past year or two, but I have faith that they will eventually get back on track.
“Building a successful career takes time. There have been many highs and lows, but I believe it was only a temporary setback, and I am working hard to get back to where I was.
The defender also mentioned that the “faith” shown in him by England manager Gareth Southgate and his teammates makes him feel like he has a significant role to play in the team.
On the other hand, he stated that the criticism that he has been given “probably affects my family and friends more than it affects myself, especially when I am playing in a game.”
Following the treatment that Maguire received during the game against Scotland, Maguire’s mother published a statement expressing her support for 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,” according to him.
“I have no doubt that will evolve. I will continue to put in a lot of effort, I will continue to fight for my position, and I will continue to attempt to make things better.
On Friday, England will compete against Australia in a friendly match. Four days later, they will play Italy in a match that counts for England’s qualification for the European Championship.
