In a moment of candid reflection during the premiere episode of his new watch-along series "Beckham & Friends," global football icon David Beckham opened up about what he considers the biggest regret of his storied career — taking the captain's armband from U.S. soccer legend Landon Donovan upon arriving at LA Galaxy in 2007.
Beckham, now co-owner of Inter Miami CF in Major League Soccer, recounted the situation with rare vulnerability and humility. “When I first moved to LA, Landon Donovan was the captain. And the owner of the team came to me and he said, ‘I want you to be captain.’ And I said, ‘No, Landon Donovan is the captain,’” Beckham recalled.
Despite Beckham’s initial resistance, he shared that team management returned a week later, insisting the change had Donovan’s full support. “They spoke to Landon, Landon’s completely fine with it,” Beckham was told. “I then asked Landon and he said, ‘Yeah, of course, no problem.’ And they gave me the captain’s armband.”
David Beckham says one of his biggest regrets in his career is taking the LA Galaxy captaincy off Landon Donovan pic.twitter.com/3jr7832LWv
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However, the former England captain now admits he regrets accepting the role. “It’s my one regret,” he said on the show. “I should never have taken it off of Landon.”
The admission sheds light on the complex dynamics between Beckham and Donovan during their early years together at the Galaxy. Their relationship was publicly strained at times, particularly during Beckham’s loan spells back in Europe, which Donovan once criticized in a 2009 book.
Yet, the two players ultimately found common ground, leading LA Galaxy to back-to-back MLS Cup titles in 2011 and 2012.
