Why David Beckham Skipped The Birth Of His Son Cruz

In addition to showing up late for Cruz’s birth, David Beckham nearly missed the birth of his oldest child, Brooklyn. At the time, David was playing for Manchester United, and after two weeks of watchful waiting, Victoria Beckham still hadn’t gone into labor. Angry and worried that David would miss the birth, Victoria, who was treated horribly by the media while pregnant, had a heated phone exchange with him right before a quarterfinal game on March 3, 1999. Luckily, Brooklyn was born a day later, and David was present for his oldest son’s arrival.

Afterwards, David decided to make a brief media appearance to share the news. First, however, he asked his wife if she would style his hair. This was a rather bold request of the soccer star, since Victoria had given birth via a c-section and the lower half of her body was numbed from an epidural. 

Unfortunately, Brooklyn’s arrival coincided with one of the most difficult points in David’s career: England’s 1998 World Cup defeat after his red card for inappropriate behavior. David had learned he was going to be a first-time dad the day before the June 30 game, and he was still dealing with fans’ anger when Brooklyn was born. Things escalated to the point where the Beckhams received threats on David’s life and their baby’s safety. To protect his newborn, David blocked the hospital room door with his head while he slept.