Harry Maguire revealed he received career advice from
Manchester United legend David Beckham after abuse from Scotland fans while on
England duty.
The United defender was ridiculed and mocked by the crowd at
Hampden Park every time he touched the ball during the Three Lions’ 3-1 win
last month, where he also scored an own goal. Beckham got in touch with Maguire
to lift him up after the game and remind him of the “big moments” of
his career to help him get over the disappointment.
“I actually spoke with David about three weeks ago after the
Scotland game,” Maguire said. “He got in touch with me so it was really nice of
him and I really appreciated that. It meant everything. I’ve spoken throughout
my career about David Beckham being someone I looked up to and watched when I
was a young boy. Unfortunately, I didn’t end up on the right wing scoring and
assisting as many goals as he has, but he was a big role model when I was
growing up.
“It shows how classy he is to reach out to me and to
message me. It was something I really appreciate. It was touching really. I
don’t want to go too much into the conversation but the main thing he did is he
reminded me of the career I’ve had to date and the big moments I’ve had in my
career. I think when you’re going through tough moments you’ve got to go
through past experiences and past memories and where you’ve gone in your career
and what you’ve been through. Every career is so up and down, especially when
you reach what I’ve reached, in terms of being the captain of the biggest club
in the world for 3½ years. He’s been in that position and knows what it’s
like.”
Maguire also revealed that he has been inspired by the new
documentary series about Beckham on Netflix. The former United midfielder faced
immense criticism from fans after he was sent off during England’s 1998 defeat
to Argentina at the World Cup, but he stood tall and did not allow the outside
noise to affect his football.
Maguire hailed his resilience and admitted that the Inter
Miami co-owner has been a “huge role model” ever since his childhood.
“I have watched it,” Maguire said. “A lot of people are
speaking about me at the moment, but to see what he went through and the
resilience he showed. I couldn’t believe how much he went through at the time.
In the documentary, Gary Neville speaks about how resilient he is as a person.
I think he’s been a huge role model for many footballers growing up, especially
in my era. It is a great watch and one that I really enjoyed and also one that
[seeing him] really inspired me.”
