Alan Shearer makes David Beckham admission after watching Manchester United icon's documentary
16.10.2023 - 18:47
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Alan Shearer has insisted he does not blame David Beckham for England’s 1998 World Cup exit.
Manchester United legend Beckham is the subject of a popular Netflix documentary that was released nearly a fortnight ago. The documentary looks back at his career, including that forgettable clash with Argentina back in 1998.
Michael Owen scored a wonderful goal for the Three Lions to put Glenn Hoddle's side 2-1 up in their last-16 clash. However, after Javier Zanetti equalised, England were dealt an even bigger blog.
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Beckham was shown a straight red card for kicking Diego Simeone. The Argentines would go on to win on penalties and Beckham received a torrent of abuse for his part in his side's exit.
Clips of burning effigies and abuse thrown his way from rival fans are shown in the documentary. Hoddle is singled out by Beckham for pinning England’s exit on the red card in his post-match interview.
Shearer, England captain at the time, refused to bury his former teammate for the incident but believes the criticism of Hoddle was unfair. He told The Rest Is Football podcast: “He really heavily criticised Glenn Hoddle for his response after he got sent off. I loved Glenn Hoddle, he gave me the England captaincy and was a fantastic coach.
“I understand why David is critical of him. He didn’t agree with what was said after he got sent off in '98. But I loved Glenn Hoddle, I thought he was brilliant. I get the criticism because I know he was younger and perhaps not as mature as he could’ve been. That’s understandable.
“But he did kick out and get sent off. No, it wasn’t his fault we didn’t go through. It wasn’t his