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David Beckham celebrates after his iconic free-kick against Greece
(Image credit: Getty Images)
When all was said and done, it was perhaps the defining moment of David Beckham’s career.
For 90 minutes, the Manchester United man had been attempting to drag his England team over the line in their final 2002 World Cup qualifier against Greece, with the Three Lions needing a draw to qualify for the following summer’s tournament.
Danny Mills on David Beckham on David Beckham’s World Cup party
Danny Mills would win 19 England caps (Image credit: Getty Images)As one would expect, the Old Trafford crowd were delirious, with even those on the bench in awe of what they had just seen.
“I was in the squad – there were four or five of us watching that goal from the tunnel, it was an incredible moment,” Danny Mills tells FourFourTwo. “Had that not gone in, I might not have played at a World Cup.
David Beckham rescued England against Greece With England’s regular right-back Gary Neville nursing a broken foot, Mills grasped his opportunity and won five of his 19 international caps as England again tasted quarter-final defeat, this time in the Far East.
But the experience of being in Beckham’s orbit during a time when the England skipper’s fame had reached global icon levels has also stayed with him.
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“I remember being invited to a World Cup party at his house – it was a little extravagant,” the former Leeds United and Manchester City defender continues. “The invitations came round in early 2002 – white tie and diamonds was the dress code!
“I didn’t even own a black tie, let alone a white one, and I certainly didn’t have any diamonds! That was an eye-opener, the world of the famous, I guess.
Danny Mills training alongside Gareth Southgate for England in 2001 (Image credit: Getty Images)“But I did go along. We had a table at the back of the room for the players – the celebrities that were there from all different walks of life were way more forward than us.
“Allegedly the party was for the players, but I’m not sure it was… I spent most of the time with my lad in the kids’ play tent!”
For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.
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