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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Zoe Delaney

David Beckham says Victoria regrets WAG behaviour which went 'too far' during World Cup

David Beckham has been spilling the beans on how his wife Victoria Beckham feels about her former life as the most famous WAG in the world.

The former England captain, 47, has reflected on how the high-profile coverage of footballers' partners being present at major tournaments impacted the national team's performance - questioning whether some people "behaved themselves in the right manner".

David also admits Posh Spice, 48, is one of the first to say "What was I doing? What was I wearing? Why would I do that?" when looking back on her time supporting her husband alongside other wives and girlfriends.

Victoria Beckham was once known for her fun pitch-side outfits when cheering on the Three Lions (Getty Images)
David Beckham has revealed his fashion designer wife now questions some of her past fashion choices (Dave Benett/Getty Images)

The 2006 World Cup in Germany is remembered for all the wrong reasons when it comes to England's involvement, thanks to the so-called 'Golden Generation' crashing out in the quarter finals and star striker Wayne Rooney receiving a red card during such an important knockout game.

Off the pitch the WAGs - including Victoria Beckham, Ashley Cole's wife at the time Cheryl and Coleen Rooney - attracted a mass of attention in Baden-Baden, as they stepped out in eye-catching outfits across the city inbetween cheering on their partners.

The former Spice Girls singer with Cheryl and Coleen Rooney in the stands back in 2006 (Reuters)

A lot of blame was placed on the women for the professional male footballers underperforming once again during a big tournament - something then-England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson dismissed as a "stupid excuse" at the time.

Reflecting on the peak of WAG culture with his former Manchester United teammate Gary Neville, David said: "There was a lot of attention around the families but I always believed, as an England captain, having the kids around and wives or girlfriends wasn’t a bad thing.

The footballers' wives heading off for a night out in Baden, Baden in 2006 (Daily Mirror)

"But looking back, that whole culture, there was a lot of attention, and whether people behaved themselves in the right manner - I don’t know.

"Even Victoria, she is the first to say when she looks back: 'What was I doing? What was I wearing? Why would I do that?' I think it went a bit too far.

"There was more spoken about the WAGs than the football. At that time, for the players, you want to focus on the tournament rather than anything else," he continued on The Overlap podcast.

VB was Queen WAG throughout the 00s (PA)
Coleen and Cheryl also attracted a huge amount of interest (Richard Young/REX/Shutterstock)

"I do think it went too far but I do believe having them there at the right time is a good thing."

David and Gary's trip down memory lane about WAG culture comes as current England boss Gareth Southgate has banned the national team's wives and girlfriends from starring in a fly-on-the-wall World Cup documentary later this year.

The Three Lions manager reportedly won't even use the term WAG, as he believes it is disrespectful.

Victoria reflected on her WAG fashion sense herself last year (Getty Images)

A lot has changed since the lives of footballers' wives attracted so much attention and fascination throughout national tournaments - with many feeling how the treatment of women married to footballers in the 00s was riddled with sexism and misogyny.

These days, one-time Queen of the WAGs Victoria is now a world famous fashion designer - with her 00s footballer's wife style firmly a thing of the past.

Speaking about her fashion evolution last year, the mum-of-four admitted she cringes at some of the matching outfits she and husband David used to wear back in the day.

Victoria and David used to be fond of a matching outfit in the 90s and 00s (Rex Features)
The happy couple now have a very different sense of style (SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

"It just seemed like a really good idea at the time," the former singer confessed on The Tonight Show in October.

"It really did. I think there was a naivety then, we didn't know about fashion. We were just having fun with it," she added when chatting all things fashion with host Jimmy Fallon.

"We didn't know about fashion. We were just having fun with it, which to be honest with you, is kind of the way it should be. I really wish I had the courage to do it more now."

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