David Beckham Addresses Iconic Buzz Cut From 2000: I Didn’t Do It for ‘Attention’
The English footballer talked about the famous hairstyle in the new docuseries ‘Beckham.’
David Beckham, 48, addressed the famous buzz cut he sported in 2000, in the third episode of the new Netflix docuseries, Beckham, according to PEOPLE. The football champion, who previously had longer blonde hair, revealed what happened behind the scenes when he decided to chop his locks off and take on the new style. The look ended up becoming iconic.
“I had a hairdresser at the time called Tyler. I said to him, ‘I’m gonna cut my hair’ and he was like, ‘Are you sure? You really want to do that?,’ ” David explained in the episode.
He further explained that Manchester United Coach Sir Alex Ferguson confronted him about the hairstyle change ahead of their match against Leicester City in March 2000. “And [Alex] said, ‘David take the cap off.’ And I said, ‘No,'” he said.
“Stubbornness,” Alex also recalled. “And then I said, ‘Oh well.’”
David debuted the new buzz cut on the field during a game, and it shocked many commentators and viewers. Despite the big spotlight it put on the athlete, he admitted that “attention” wasn’t why he made the change. “I never did it to create attention. I’m not that person,” he said.
The docuseries also looked back on the craze the buzz cut brought from David’s fans back in the day. “When David Beckham shaved his head, I honestly thought a member of my family had died. Because my phone went off,” said James Clarke, a Manchester paparazzi, said. “The panic in people’s voices that this… We haven’t got it documented yet.”
He went on to add that the new cut became a huge pop culture moment and made many of David’s younger fans want to cut their hair just like him. “Literally kids, ‘I want to be David Beckham, I want to shave my head. And schools were having to write in, ‘No shaving of heads,’” he recalled.
David’s wife, Victoria Beckham, also spoke about the memorable moment in the series, which gives an in-depth look at his life over the years. The former Spice Girl admitted she thought that when her husband shaved his head, he started “going from a boy to a man,” and that it surely increased his confidence. “And it’s only natural that you’ll start flexing your muscles, right? And don’t all kids rebel against their parents?” she said.