How Brooklyn Beckham on path to marry a billionaire and split with his parents

Brooklyn Beckham sent shockwaves through the celebrity world by taking aim at his famous parents in an explosive statement on Monday, which included him blaming David and Victoria for anxiety he has felt during his life.

Brooklyn had accused the pair of 'endlessly trying' to ruin his marriage to Nicola Peltz, 31, of 'valuing public promotion above all else' and of 'placing countless lies in the media'.

It has put the Beckhams at the centre of discourse on social media, with supporters flocking to give their take on a family feud which has captured so many people's interest.

Brooklyn's attack had included the statement that he had grown up with 'overwhelming anxiety', which he claimed has disappeared since stepping away from his family.

Anxiety was highlighted as one of the reasons Brooklyn had opted to step away from following in his father's footsteps and pursuing a career as a professional footballer. David had been hailed as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation and won 19 major trophies throughout his 20-year football career.

The expectation of Brooklyn emulating was high from a young age, with public discussion about his potential coming when he participated in a community football scheme with Tottenham at the age of four - when his father was England captain and starring for Real Madrid.

'You can already see that Brooklyn is going to develop into a good player,' an onlooker told the Evening Standard at the time. 'The kids were only practising elementary football skills but Brooklyn shows lots of promise.'

Brooklyn seen on the training pitch on occasion at clubs represented by David, including French side PSG and LA Galaxy, who play in the MLS in the United States.

Over a decade on, still aged just 15, it was revealed that Brooklyn had signed an academy contract with Arsenal. Coaches at the Premier League club were said to have been impressed by his skills after training with the club's under-16 side.

Arsenal were said to have won a race to sign Brooklyn, with the contract seeing him join his younger brothers Romeo and Cruz in Arsenal's youth set-up.

Brooklyn had previously had trials with Chelsea, Man United, Queens Park Rangers and Fulham.

'Brooklyn is talented and he has stood out in all of the training sessions and games he has played. He has had other teams sniffing around and it was always going to be a case of when, not if, he was signed up by a big-name club,' an Arsenal source was quoted by the Daily Star at the time.

'Arsenal realise he can be a huge talent. They have seen that potential and protected their asset. The club has signed him, fending off interest from Manchester United and Chelsea in the meantime. Next summer we may see him sign a big-money deal and with Arsenal.'

The hype increased three months later after Brooklyn was named on the bench for Arsenal's Under-18 side for a match against Leicester in February 2015.

Line-up for the match are eye-opening over a decade on, with Brooklyn joined on Arsenal's five-man bench by Joe Willock and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who have since gone on to become established Premier League players.

Their opponents also saw several players graduate to the Premier League in Harvey Barnes, Hamza Choudhury and Ben Chilwell, with the latter becoming an England international.

While those players have a sizeable medal haul between them, which includes the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, FA Cup and League Cup, the substitute appearance proved Brooklyn's high point.

Shortly after the call-up to the Under-18 squad, it was revealed Arsenal would not be offering him a professional deal with coaches viewing other players in his position to be more developed.

His presence in the squad had been put down to a large part of the Hale End academy travelling to a tournament in Qatar, leading to his promotion by default rather than merit.

It was unclear at the time whether Brookyln would look to continue his career after being released. Jadion Anthony, who was also released by Arsenal, and has risen back to play in the Premier League with Burnley revealed in 2021 that Brooklyn had been a talented player.

Anthony, who stated that Arsenal had a 'special generation' of young players at the time, said that Brooklyn had surprised him with his skills during training sessions. He added that it had been strange to see Victoria Beckham turn up at training sessions to pick up Brookyln.

'I played with him a few times,' Anthony told GOAL in 2021. 'I remember that one time I lent him my shin pads after he forgot his shinpads.

'It was an interesting time having him. He was a very nice guy and just wanted to be one of the lads.

'To be fair, we took him in as well. He was a good player; he was a right winger just like his dad. He surprised me with his skills.'

Just months after his release, Brooklyn was on the pitch at Old Trafford in a charity match for UNICEF, which had seen the 16-year-old come on as a substitute for David before later playing alongside each other following an injury to Sol Campbell.

The match had featured legends of the game including managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Carlo Ancelotti, as well as stars including Brazil legend Ronaldinho, Clarence Seedorf and Luis Figo.

'I wasn't meant to join him but Sol came off,' David said post-match. 'Having Brooklyn out there was special.

'One of my lasting memories is winning the [Premier League] title and walking around with Brooklyn when he was 18 months.'

Brookyln's appearance came just two months after David opened up about his son's decision to quit the game, citing the pressure of attempting live up to his success in the sport.

'One of my boys turned around to me the other day and said, 'Daddy, I'm not sure I want to play football all the time',' David told ABC.

'It broke my heart a little bit. He said, 'Every time I step on to the field, I know people are saying, 'This is David Beckham's son', and if I am not as good as you, then it is not good enough.'

'I said, 'Okay, stop right there… You play because you want to play'. I don't want them [my children] to have that pressure. I want them to be happy. As long as they're happy, that's all I care about.'

Brookyln later agreed with his father's assessment of the moment, but admitted he had been sad to walk away from the game.

'My dad wasn't sad, because he was like, "I just want you to be happy",' Brookyln said.

'But of course, I was sad. It was my whole life since I was literally two.'

Brookyln's brothers Romeo and Cruz would also walk away from football, with the latter opting to pursue a career in music.

Romeo had decided to return to the game in 2020 when he signed a contract with Brentford's B-team, which led to David being pictured attending several of his matches. Romeo eventually opted to leave the game entirely to focus on a career in fashion.

As for Brookyln, he has attempted to to launch careers in a variety of different fields, including failed pursuits in photography and cookery.

He has also worked as a model and influencer, leading to him landing several deals with brands.

Brookyln has claimed his marriage to Nicola Peltz, daughter of American billionaire Nelson Peltz, has helped him find 'peace and relief' after battling crippling anxiety.

Brooklyn said fractures within the family began during their wedding in April 2022.  He addressed their wedding day in his statement on Monday, claiming there had been repeated attempts to ruin his relationship.

He also talked about his first dance with Nicola, which he claimed was hijacked by his mother.

He said he was 'so uncomfortable and humiliated' they decided to renew their vows on their third wedding anniversary.