David Beckham on pressure, competition, and redemption | ReThinking

David Beckham 0:00 For my motivation, you know, there's nothing better than playing in front of 100,000 fans. You know, I'd much rather do that than play in front of 10 people, you know? And that's what, that's what I miss about the game.

Adam Grant 0:11 It almost sounds like you miss the pressure.

David Beckham 0:14 It's a strange thing. You know, the, the, the more the pressure, the better I seem to perform. [upbeat music]

Adam Grant 0:24 You beat me here.

David Beckham 0:26 I did.

Adam Grant 0:26 Why?

David Beckham 0:27 I-

Adam Grant 0:27 I came so early. I was 20 minutes early.

David Beckham 0:29 Well, I'm, I'm not always just on time. I'm before that. Uh, and my wife kind of picks at it all the time, in all honesty. She's always saying, "We're gonna be too early. We're gonna be too early." But I got brought up by parents that always made sure that we were on time. I got, you know, brought up when I was in Manchester United by an incredible coach that always made sure that we're not just on time, but 20 minutes before time. So I'm sorry I got here before you, but not sorry.

Adam Grant 0:58 I, I can't believe it because I am always late.

David Beckham 1:01 [laughs]

Adam Grant 1:01 And I made sure to not be late this morning, and I still couldn't get here ahead of you.

David Beckham 1:05 Well, you definitely wasn't late. I was just really early, so I apologize.

Adam Grant 1:08 I'm rejecting your apology.

David Beckham 1:09 [laughs]

Adam Grant 1:10 What, what happens if you're on time or late? Does it bother you?

David Beckham 1:14 Um, I am very aggravated if I'm late. Um, it upsets me. I worry about what people think about me if I turn up late, so that's why I'm always very early.

Adam Grant 1:25 Aren't you past being judged now?

David Beckham 1:26 [laughs] Um-

Adam Grant 1:27 At, at what point in your career do you stop-

David Beckham 1:29 To be honest-

Adam Grant 1:29 ... caring about image?

David Beckham 1:29 I don't mind being judged. I just, I, I, I just hate being late. It's one of my pet peeves that I just really don't like. Um, so I'm always on time for everything, whether it's Sunday lunches, whether it's a drink with friends, whether it's school runs, I'm always on time.

Adam Grant 1:45 We are not gonna get along, then.

David Beckham 1:46 [laughs]

Adam Grant 1:47 So David, I wanna, I wanna talk about sport. We have the World Cup, uh, on the horizon.

David Beckham 1:53 Mm.

Adam Grant 1:54 And I think it's, you know, it's, it's something that really has the potential to bring the world together-

David Beckham 1:58 Mm

Adam Grant 1:58 ... in our divided times. Can you talk to me a little bit about the power of sport in general, and football in particular, in 2026?

David Beckham 2:05 Well, I think sport has always had the power to unite, you know, people, children, communities, villages, you know? And that's what, that's what sport does. Not just soccer, football, um, that's what sport does in general. So I think that this is a real opportunity again. You know, we see it every four years. Every time a World Cup comes around, you know, uh, cities change, countries change, people change. People have the opportunity to go and have fun. They're passionate about it. And I think that this is a real opportunity again, you know, for, for, for sport to prove that.

Adam Grant 2:38 I hope so. I was surprised going into the Paris Olympics, I, I read a bunch of research showing that we think the Olympics are gonna bring people together, and they actually tend to divide countries.

David Beckham 2:48 Mm.

Adam Grant 2:48 Uh, people love their own nation more, but they also start to hate their rival nations [laughs] a little bit more. Um, that seems like a, a lost opportunity. What's your take on how to prevent that from happening?

David Beckham 2:58 No, I think there's always gonna be rival, rivalry in sport. I think it divides people, but in a way that brings people together. You know, I think that you have a stadium full of 80,000 fans, 40,000 are for one country, 40,000 are for the other country. Yes, there will be rivalry because one set of fans want their team to win, and the other set of fans want their team to win, so there's always gonna be that rivalry. I think it's a good thing. You know, we always talk about, you know, moments of, you know, people disagreeing, you know? And, and this is a moment where fans disagree, but then they're coming together in a stadium where they're celebrating. You know, I saw this in the last World Cup, you know, fans coming together, and I think that that's such an important part of sport, and that's why I always talk about sport being such a, um, a, a kind of, a, a... brings a, a real unity. Um, and soccer is, is, is that moment, you know? Soccer is, it's gonna be viewed by almost four, four and a half, five billion people, and, you know, when you talk about the magnitude of that, you know, and, and what that does to communities and what that does to people, you know, that's, that's, that's the biggest thing that, that, that people want these days.

Adam Grant 4:11 Did you just call football soccer?

David Beckham 4:13 I, I think I might have said it a couple of times, so-

Adam Grant 4:15 Is that a verbal tic?

David Beckham 4:17 What-

Adam Grant 4:17 What's happening here?

David Beckham 4:18 You know what? It was always football to me until I moved to America, and then I had to adjust. Um, I had to adjust. But I still obviously know that it is football.

Adam Grant 4:27 So what role did fans play in your motivation throughout your career?

David Beckham 4:31 Um, they played a big motivation. Obviously, you know, to have fans in the stadium. It's what we realized through, through lockdown, you know, when you had two teams playing against each other with an empty stadium, you know, it felt soulless. You know, you have, uh, all different fans, I think more so in America than anywhere in the world. You know, when I moved to America and played in LA in 2007, I noticed that there was young kids, you know, people that were 20 years old, people that were 40 years old, people that were 80 years old, you know, all turning up as a family to go and watch their team play. For my motivation, I miss the entertainment side. I miss walking out onto that pitch, you know, and, and performing. Um, and people turn round to me all the time and say, you know, "What do you miss about the game?" I miss everything about it.

Adam Grant 5:22 It almost sounds like you miss the pressure.

David Beckham 5:24 I love the pressure. I went through a, a stage where in 1998 where I'd been sent off, and I was kind of getting a little bit of abuse from, from, from fans, from media, from people. But in all honesty, the thing that I knew what to do best is to put my head down to work as hard as I can, and then results would come and, and thankfully they did.

Adam Grant 5:46 There's a big nature/nurture debate when it comes to handling performance pressures.

David Beckham 5:50 Mm.

Adam Grant 5:50 I think a lot of people believe you're just born with that ability or not.

David Beckham 5:53 Yeah.

Adam Grant 5:54 There's... I'm thinking though, there's some classic research-

David Beckham 5:56 Mm

Adam Grant 5:56 ... in psychology showing that how you respond to pressure depends on your skill level.

David Beckham 5:59 Mm.

Adam Grant 5:59 Where basically what happens is when you're under stress, that increases the probability of your dominant instinctive response.

David Beckham 6:05 Okay.

Adam Grant 6:06 And if you're not good at the task or the game, then your dominant response is to screw up.

David Beckham 6:10 Yeah.

Adam Grant 6:10 But if you're an expert or if you're highly practiced, your dominant response, the autopilot, is actually excellent.

David Beckham 6:15 Okay.

Adam Grant 6:16 And so I think what that, what that research at least would suggest is that over time you get better at handling pressure as your skill level improves.

David Beckham 6:23 Yeah.

Adam Grant 6:23 Agree or disagree?

David Beckham 6:25 I don't know. I was quite young when I first went through all of this. You know, I was 21 years old. Um, so that's pretty young. I never really questioned that I was good enough, but obviously doubts come into your mind at times, and you wonder if you can get through certain situations, um, with the pressure that was, you know, mounting on me at the time. I relied on my wife, my family, my parents, my friends, and that's really... And my teammates. That's what I relied on to get me through the moments where I was doubting myself. So I agree but also disagree because, like, I'd never been through anything like that before.

Adam Grant 6:59 What was the moment it peaked out? When did you feel it most intensely?

David Beckham 7:03 I think I had that feeling, the intense feeling, for probably four years.

Adam Grant 7:08 Four years?

David Beckham 7:09 Yeah. Yeah.

Adam Grant 7:10 And how old were you?

David Beckham 7:11 21.

Adam Grant 7:12 Jeez. So you alluded to, I think, the red card in 1998.

David Beckham 7:16 Yeah.

Adam Grant 7:16 Uh, World Cup loss. Um, set the scene a little bit for us on that.

David Beckham 7:20 Mm. Mm.

Adam Grant 7:21 Um, what, what happened? What did it feel like? How did you deal with it?

David Beckham 7:24 Okay. I went into the World Cup in 1998, and I'd played every game on the lead up to the World Cup. I go into the World Cup. The coach at the time didn't think that my head space was right, so he dropped me for the first game, for the second game. And we won the first game. We were losing the second game. And then the third game was against Colombia, which was actually on my mum's birthday. And I remember going into this game really happy because, you know, I was back in the team. I scored a goal on my mum's birthday. My first goal for, for England in a World Cup, um, was on my mum's birthday. I had, had a, a really good game. We won the game. We then progressed onto the next stage. So the next game was against Argentina. Obviously, we talked about rivals earlier. There's, there's not many bigger rivals than England-Argentina, for many reasons. But that moment, I go into the game, we were in good form. Um, we were winning 1-0, and then Argentina got a goal back. And towards the end of the first half, there was a play- a player called Diego Simeone, and he was always one of these players that kind of... You know, he was one of those players on the field that kind of aggravated, you know, the situations. So he was that player, and he came r- right into the back of me, fell on top of me, and then he kind of brushed my head like that. And I felt that, and I kind of just flicked my leg up, kind of, and, and, and kicked him. Should never have done it. It was a mistake. It was one of the mistakes where I wish that I'd never done it. But I look back and I think everything happens for a reason. But that was what happened. So I got the red card, and then after that, you know, I got probably three or four years of, of abuse. But that, but that fourth year, I then became England captain. You know, I could never have dreamed of captaining my country. My dream was always to play for my country. You know, I never saw myself as a leader. I never saw myself as a captain, you know, at that time. But then I got that armband, and I had to turn into a leader overnight.

Adam Grant 9:31 I wanna talk about that, too. Before we go there, I, I think what you're describing is a basic emotion regulation challenge, right?

David Beckham 9:37 Yeah.

Adam Grant 9:37 That, like, that, that moment-

David Beckham 9:39 Yeah

Adam Grant 9:40 ... you're, you're probably not using your best-

David Beckham 9:42 Yeah

Adam Grant 9:42 ... higher, higher level reasoning.

David Beckham 9:43 So I suppose, you know, the red mist. They called it the red mist. They always said that I had red mist, and, and the red mist came, and unfortunately, it was on the biggest stage that you can have as a footballer. But unfortunately, or fortunately, it shaped me as a player and as a person.

Adam Grant 10:02 When I teach leaders and students to manage that red mist-

David Beckham 10:05 Mm

Adam Grant 10:05 ... um, I actually, I use football as an example. Uh, I, I like the Zidane headbutt moment.

David Beckham 10:10 Yeah.

Adam Grant 10:10 Uh, 'cause it, it's just so extreme.

David Beckham 10:12 Yeah.

Adam Grant 10:12 But my, my typical advice there is to recognize that you have some emotional triggers-

David Beckham 10:17 Mm

Adam Grant 10:17 ... some buttons that can easily get pushed.

David Beckham 10:19 Yeah.

Adam Grant 10:20 Know what those are-

David Beckham 10:21 Yeah

Adam Grant 10:21 ... and then build a script for what you're gonna do when somebody pushes that button.

David Beckham 10:26 Yeah.

Adam Grant 10:26 And I'm curious about whether you did anything along those lines.

David Beckham 10:29 No. [laughs]

Adam Grant 10:30 Not at all.

David Beckham 10:30 Obviously not. I, I suppose, you know, I, at that moment in time I didn't have time for that. You know, I'd been knocked over. My frustration came out straight away. And like I said, do I wish it had never happened? Absolutely. But it happened for a reason. It happened to shape me as a person.

Adam Grant 10:47 That seems like one of the few moments on a pitch that you don't train for. And I've often wondered if, would you simulate those kinds of moments in practice to, to actually give you-

David Beckham 10:56 No. [laughs]

Adam Grant 10:56 Not at all?

David Beckham 10:57 Absolutely not.

Adam Grant 10:57 Never?

David Beckham 10:58 No, never. Never.

Adam Grant 10:59 You just trusted yourself to act differently next time.

David Beckham 11:02 Absolutely. And, and did I probably act in a way that I shouldn't have acted, you know, a few years after that? Probably. Probably, because that... I was a passionate player. You know, I was a passionate player on the field, and when things upset me, it was very clear that they upset me. But, um, I learned to control a lot of the things over the years because I had to. You know, I had to become a different person and I had to become a different player. I had to be in control as much as I can be of certain situations where I was put in because every time that I stepped out onto a field, you know, f- 98% of the stadium was booing me Because they were either England fans or rival fans. Um, because that was what it was like then. I'd let... People felt that I'd let my country down. People th- felt that I'd let my family down. And in a way, I kind of had because of what my reactions. Um, but I always think it's not about what actually happens in that moment, it's about how you react after and how you handle those moments.

Adam Grant 12:03 I'm reminded of a scene in Love Actually where, uh, Hugh-

David Beckham 12:06 I get me- I get mentioned in Love Actually.

Adam Grant 12:07 You do.

David Beckham 12:08 I do.

Adam Grant 12:08 Um, in a particular way. Hugh Grant is describing what makes England a great country-

David Beckham 12:11 Yeah

Adam Grant 12:11 ... and he names your left foot and your right foot.

David Beckham 12:13 [laughs] And I, when I was watching that movie, I actually didn't even know that I was in it. Um, so that was, uh, that's a very nice thing.

Adam Grant 12:20 Was that a marker of shifting perception of in that moment or in that time period, people starting to come around and support you more?

David Beckham 12:28 Um, no. I think the, the, the marker of having more support and people coming around at the time was three years after that. So there was a game against Greece, uh, at Old Trafford, where Manchester United play. That was my team that I played for at the time. And, uh, we went into this game, and we only needed to draw the game. So a draw was perfectly okay. The sun was shining. It was the perfect day. We go into this game, only need a draw, and we played terrible. But I was playing really well. It was one of the, one of the best games that I'd... And I never say this about myself as a, as a, as a player. It's probably one of the best games that I've played in, in football. And, um, we go one-nil down. We then get a goal back, uh, which w- was one of my assists to Teddy Sheringham. They, Greece then go up the other end, and they score a goal. There's three minutes left in the game. I've taken about eight free kicks so far, seven free kicks so far, and all missed. And then I get one more free kick at the end of the game with three minutes to go, and, um, I score. And that goal took England through to the World Cup finals, and that was the moment where everything changed for me. That was the moment where I think people... I mean, I always get emotional talking about it because it's the moment where I realized people forgave me.

Adam Grant 13:58 Mm-hmm.

David Beckham 13:58 Um, and that, that was... You know, my mom and dad were sat in the director's box at Old Trafford, and they said they've never seen a reaction from people after I scored that goal. You know, people were crying. You know, young kids, you know, grandmas and grandpas, you know, they were, they were crying. They just burst out crying because the, the raw emotion. And that's what I'm saying about football as a game. You know, it unites people like, like no other sport in my opinion.

Adam Grant 14:28 Yeah. So did you feel in the years before that, like, you had to earn a whole nation's forgiveness?

David Beckham 14:34 Yes.

Adam Grant 14:35 Wow.

David Beckham 14:36 Yes.

Adam Grant 14:37 And how did you deal with that pressure? 'Cause that's a different kind of weight to carry.

David Beckham 14:40 Um, I, I actually don't know. I don't know how I dealt with it. I just did what I know best, which is to work hard and put my head down and, and, and stay, and stay quiet. You know, Sir Alex Ferguson, who was my coach at the time when I got sent off in the World Cup for, uh... He was the Manchester United coach, and he was the first to call me the next morning. And he said, "David, son, how are you?" And I said, uh, "Not great, boss." And he said, uh, "Don't worry. Go away for a couple of weeks. Have rest with your family. Come back, and we'll be there for you, and we'll support you." And, and really without, without Sir Alex Ferguson, without my teammates, without, um, the support of Manchester United fans... I remember every game that I played that whole season. When we played at home and we played at Old Trafford, every time I went over to take a corner kick, you know, the whole side of the stand stood up. And, and that is the reason why I got through that difficult time.

Adam Grant 15:43 Ferguson is regarded as one of the greatest coaches ever.

David Beckham 15:45 Yeah.

Adam Grant 15:46 Beyond the importance of hard work and just the basic support that he gave you-

David Beckham 15:50 Mm

Adam Grant 15:50 ... what was your greatest lesson from him?

David Beckham 15:51 It's hard to step away and not, not mention the hard work because that what, is what he was all about. Um, discipline, mentality, um, respect, um, and he gave us all of those things. All of those things. And he wasn't preparing us as football players. He was preparing us for life. It didn't matter who you were. It didn't matter what you'd achieved. Didn't matter where you'd come from. Everyone was treated the same. And you gained respect only by working, by working hard. I was playing in an era where, you know, therapy wasn't really a thing. I'm not saying it was frowned upon to, to, to kind of discuss it, but it... I, I grew up, you know, in a household where if, if, if I did have a disappointment, my dad would just say, "Okay, go out there and do it again," till I got it right. And I'm all for that. You know, I, I'm all for people discussing their problems and talking about their problems and trying to find a solution, but for me personally, my way was to put my head down and work harder.

Adam Grant 16:55 Are you saying that if you were 21 today, you would be in therapy?

David Beckham 16:59 Probably not.

Adam Grant 17:00 [laughs]

David Beckham 17:00 Probably not. I find it hard to believe that I would go into therapy through something like this with the upbringing that I had because there was a steeliness that my dad installed into me without even knowing that he was protecting me for the future, which he probably didn't know at the time. But as a father, you know, he supported me, but he was tough on me and, and, and that's what made me.

Adam Grant 17:22 What was the most helpful thing a family member said to you during those four years of self-doubt?

David Beckham 17:26 You know what someone said to me once? The hardest thing is to say nothing. And even though I was going through what I was going through, it was, it would've been very easy to come out fighting. It would've been very easy to come out and say something and add to the, you know, the speculation or add to the conversation. But the best thing I did was I went silent. I went silent and I worked harder, and that was the right thing to do

Adam Grant 17:54 ... to get through that doubt? What were you hoping to achieve?

David Beckham 17:57 I always wanna win, you know, and, and that was always on the field. I wanted to win. I wanted to show people. I wanted to, you know, the... I suppose the critics that were turning round and saying that I shouldn't be playing in the Premier League anymore, I shouldn't be playing in England, maybe I'm gonna go and play somewhere else abroad, um, my motivation was to kind of prove everyone wrong, to prove everyone that I was still the player that wanted to play for my country, that wanted to play for Manchester United, that wanted to play in England. That was my motivation. Um, and I- also, I, you know, I'm, I'm not pa- I, I'm part of a, a sport where it's a team sport. So even though I was going through difficult times, I still had to perform. I still had to go out on that pitch with all the things that were being said about me, you know, in the stands, on the media, on the TV, on the radio, on the podcasts. I still had to go out and perform. You know, we went to, on to achieve things that, that with, w- the, the first time to win a, you know, a, a treble. You know, we won the Champions League, we won the FA Cup, and we won, um, uh, the Premier League. You know, we did that, funnily enough, the year after I went through that, that, that time. So in 1998 I got the red card. In 1998/99 season we did the treble, and it was one of my best seasons as a footballer.

Adam Grant 19:23 You just anticipated my next four questions.

David Beckham 19:25 Sorry.

Adam Grant 19:26 No, it's-

David Beckham 19:26 Sorry

Adam Grant 19:26 ... it's good. What was the bigger motivator for you, m- loving to win or hating to lose?

David Beckham 19:31 Oh, my goodness. Um, I really don't like to lose. I really don't like to lose, but it happens. You know, I talk to kids about it all the time. You know, when I'm sat down and kids turn round to me and say, "You've won all of these games. What is it like when you lose a game?" It's, it's one of the worst feelings in the world for me. You know, it, it's, it's depressing. Um, you wake up the next morning and you have this feeling in your stomach when you've lost a game. It means the same to me. It doesn't matter what level I'm playing at, it doesn't matter, you know, whether I'm playing in a cup game, a friendly game, a World Cup game. If I win a game, I still feel the same. If I lose a game, I still feel the same.

Adam Grant 20:10 Is that true when you're playing other sports for fun?

David Beckham 20:13 Yes.

Adam Grant 20:13 If you and I were to play-

David Beckham 20:14 Oh, yes

Adam Grant 20:15 ... ping pong, for example.

David Beckham 20:16 Um, I am not good at losing ping pong. I am not good at losing basketball. I am not good at losing a game of, uh, checkers.

Adam Grant 20:24 Do you ever throw the board when you lose?

David Beckham 20:26 Oh, no. I'm not, I'm not an aggressive person when I, when I lose. Um, I'm a, I'm probably a sad person when I lose.

Adam Grant 20:33 Okay, so you just get depressed.

David Beckham 20:35 I get depressed.

Adam Grant 20:35 All right. You mentioned earlier that you didn't see yourself as a leader for a long time.

David Beckham 20:39 Mm.

Adam Grant 20:40 When did that shift, and why?

David Beckham 20:42 It shifted when I got given the armband.

Adam Grant 20:46 You didn't have any sense of yourself as a leader before that?

David Beckham 20:49 No, no.

Adam Grant 20:50 Why not?

David Beckham 20:51 No. Um, because I was brought up in an era where captains, they shouted at players. They led with, with not aggression, but they led by, by vocalizing in, in that way, and I was never that person. I'm a very quiet person. I'm quite shy. Um, and I'm not very good at shouting at people.

Adam Grant 21:11 [laughs]

David Beckham 21:12 Um, I'm really not. So to be given the captain's armband at that time, again, it was, it was a decision that was quite criticized. You know, am I ready to be captain of my country? But with that, you know, your responsibilities change. You know, you be- you have to become a leader, and I was a different leader. My way of leading was to work harder than anyone else, to turn up before everyone else, to leave after everyone else, and I always believed that that was my strongest way of leading. So I, I, I kind of grew into that moment. Um, and I'm very proud, you know? I'm very proud that I got the opportunity to captain my country for six years.

Adam Grant 21:52 All right. You ready for a lightning round?

David Beckham 21:54 Oh, my goodness. Okay.

Adam Grant 21:55 We have some quick-fire questions for you.

David Beckham 21:57 Quick-fire questions. Oh, my goodness.

Adam Grant 21:58 First one is-

David Beckham 21:59 It's very early. It's, like, 10:30, right? So it's quite early for quick-fires. [laughs]

Adam Grant 22:04 Ho- how many hours have you been awake now?

David Beckham 22:06 Quite a few.

Adam Grant 22:06 Okay. I think you can handle it. You love the pressure.

David Beckham 22:09 We'll see. [laughs] We'll see.

Adam Grant 22:10 We'll find out.

David Beckham 22:10 We'll see how much I like pressure.

Adam Grant 22:12 Okay. Who do you think is the most underrated footballer?

David Beckham 22:16 Most underrated footballer. Oh, my goodness. Do you know Gary Neville? Gary Neville was my, uh, best man at my wedding. He was the player that played in the position behind me for, from when we were 15 years old till I was 27 years old. But Gary was one of these players that he always talks about it, him not having as much talent as many other players. I disagree. I think he, he had great talent. But he believes that he wasn't as talented, so he had to work even harder. So I'd have to say Gary Neville.

Adam Grant 22:48 You're hosting a dinner party with anyone, alive or dead. Who are you inviting?

David Beckham 22:52 Jack Nicholson.

Adam Grant 22:52 What's the worst advice you've ever gotten?

David Beckham 22:54 "Try this. It tastes really good."

Adam Grant 22:56 [laughs] Was there a, a dish in particular?

David Beckham 22:59 Uh, well, I'm not a parsnips fan, funnily enough, and I grow parsnips in my garden, and I'm not a parsnip fan. And when I was very young, my mum was like, "Try this. It's really good," and it really wasn't.

Adam Grant 23:13 We know not-

David Beckham 23:13 [laughs]

Adam Grant 23:13 ... what not to put on your lunch menu.

David Beckham 23:14 Now, now I put a bit of honey on them, so it tastes a lot better.

Adam Grant 23:17 All right. What's something you've changed your mind about recently?

David Beckham 23:19 I'm gonna say hairstyle. Yeah, because I've changed my mind a lot over the years about my hairstyles, and recently I thought, "Why don't I go back to that hairstyle?" And I, and then all of a sudden I went back to it, I was like, "That was a really bad idea." So yeah, hairstyle.

Adam Grant 23:35 Some of us don't have the luxury of making that choice.

David Beckham 23:37 I, I... Well, I'm sorry about that.

Adam Grant 23:39 What's a question you have for me as a psychologist?

David Beckham 23:41 Do you enjoy what you do?

Adam Grant 23:43 I love what I do. I think I have the best job on Earth.

David Beckham 23:44 Is it always, is it always what you wanted to do?

Adam Grant 23:47 No.

David Beckham 23:47 No?

Adam Grant 23:47 No, I didn't even know this was a career. What's organizational psychology?

David Beckham 23:51 Yeah. And if you was to change your job, what would you go into?

Adam Grant 23:54 Ooh. I think it would be fun to write sci-fi.

David Beckham 23:58 Okay.

Adam Grant 23:58 Or I'd actually love to try coaching a sports team.

David Beckham 24:01 Favorite sci-fi movie?

Adam Grant 24:02 Favorite sci-fi movie?

David Beckham 24:03 We've changed positions here.

Adam Grant 24:04 Yeah.

David Beckham 24:04 I'm be- I'm-

Adam Grant 24:05 Who's in charge here?

David Beckham 24:06 I know, I know.

Adam Grant 24:07 Ah, favorite sci-fi movie. Interstellar, The Martian. Ah, there's so many.

David Beckham 24:13 Okay.

Adam Grant 24:13 It's hard to choose.

David Beckham 24:14 Okay.

Adam Grant 24:14 Okay. I have to ask you, the Netflix doc.

David Beckham 24:17 Yeah.

Adam Grant 24:18 For me, the most memorable moment was...

David Beckham 24:21 [laughs]

Adam Grant 24:21 And I'm sure you've been asked about this a lot.

David Beckham 24:23 Mm-hmm.

Adam Grant 24:23 But I would love to, to hear the narrative behind it. Your wife is being asked about her upbringing.

David Beckham 24:29 [laughs]

Adam Grant 24:29 And she starts to talk about how you were both raised blue collar.

David Beckham 24:32 Mm-hmm.

Adam Grant 24:32 And you're not in the scene.

David Beckham 24:34 Yeah.

Adam Grant 24:34 And you poke your head in.

David Beckham 24:35 Yeah.

Adam Grant 24:36 And what did you say and why?

David Beckham 24:38 Well, you know, the funny thing about that was I wasn't meant to be at the house at the time. I was in the kitchen making a coffee. I was just about to leave the house, and I had a set of, uh, headphones on listening to her. And soon as I heard her start saying, you know, "We're both from working class backgrounds," I thought, "No, no, no, no. This is my opportunity." So I poked my head in and I was like, "Be honest. Be honest."

Adam Grant 25:06 [laughs]

David Beckham 25:06 I was like, "You got driven to school in a Rolls-Royce. That is not a working class background."

Adam Grant 25:12 I thought in some ways that was the most revealing moment in terms of understanding your psyche.

David Beckham 25:17 Yeah.

Adam Grant 25:17 Because we got to see the quiet determination. Uh, and I thought, "This is David's version of yelling." [laughs]

David Beckham 25:21 Yeah. That is, that really is my version of yelling. That's as loud as it gets. [laughs]

Adam Grant 25:26 And why was it so important to you to set the record straight on that?

David Beckham 25:30 Um, because I want people to know that I, I'm the one from the working class background.

Adam Grant 25:35 [laughs]

David Beckham 25:35 Not my wife, who got driven to school in a Rolls-Royce. No, all joking aside, it-

Adam Grant 25:38 This is not about honesty. It was a competition

David Beckham 25:40 [laughs] Absolute- everything's a competition. Even at home, even with my wife. Every- even making a coffee, everything's a competition.

Adam Grant 25:48 Okay, so who won, who won the competition in our conversation today?

David Beckham 25:51 Uh, well, I think you did because all the questions were great. I think I answered pretty well. Thank you.

Adam Grant 25:55 We'll see what the audience thinks.

David Beckham 25:56 We'll see.

Adam Grant 25:56 David Beckham, thank you for joining Re:Thinking-

David Beckham 25:58 Thank you very much

Adam Grant 25:58 ... at an On Air Davos.

David Beckham 25:59 You're welcome. Thank you. [upbeat music]