‘I feel sorry for the lad’: Brooklyn Beckham’s former coach at QPR speaks out on ‘strange dynamic’ and youngster ‘being flanked by security aged 14’ after family feud
Brooklyn Beckham’s former youth team coach at Queens Park Rangers has admitted he ‘felt sorry’ for the nepo baby when he walked into training as a 14-year-old ‘flanked by security’.
Former Norwich City, Bradford City and QPR coach Tony McCool took to LinkedIn on Thursday to share his own experience of dealing with Brooklyn in the midst of the eldest Beckham child’s explosive statement about his parents earlier this week.
Brooklyn’s bombshell Instagram post has brought him a wave of backlash, with fans flooding to social media to give their take on a family feud which has captured the interest of so many.
However McCool revealed that he somewhat understands Brooklyn’s frustrations, after he coached the youngster for a brief period during his days at QPR.
McCool wrote: ‘Brooklyn Beckham getting piled on. But I felt sorry for the lad. I did seem some bizarre carry on as his football coach at QPR & certainly seen the anxiety.
‘He might have got this situation wrong, I’m not on either side because I don’t know them & his parents were always polite to me. But I did witness myself a strange dynamic which is impossible for us to judge and predict how we would navigate it, both as parents and as a young person.
Brooklyn Beckham at last broke his silence this week about a family feud which has captured the world’s attention
Now the eldest Beckham child’s former coach at QPR has given his take on the situation, admitting he ‘felt sorry’ for the youngster
Former QPR, Norwich and Bradford City coach Tony McCool revealed Brooklyn used to arrive to training ‘flanked by security’
‘My short window into that life left me some funny stories, also some sad ones and I realised how tough it must have been for the lad. Yet I coached many lads of famous parents, mostly well-known footballers.
‘But this spell was on another serious level. It would make a good chapter in my book. What it did do was open my eyes. Being a super wealthy & famous doesn’t always lead to happiness.
‘It’s hard to ‘sympathise’ or empathise because most of us will never know. But being flanked by permanent security at 14, plus the many other things I seen made me realise I shouldn’t judge because I haven’t walked a mile in them shoes, or his parents to be fair.
‘I am sure they will close ranks and resolve their differences. I hope so. (& David thanks for paying me back that £6) (laughing emoji).’
Brooklyn enjoyed a short spell on trial in West London aged 14, while also training for Chelsea, Man United and Fulham.
However he ultimately signed an academy contract at Arsenal a few months down the line, where he joined his brothers Romeo and Cruz. Brooklyn eventually left the Gunners when they did not offer him a professional deal.
In his statement, released on Monday evening, the 26-year-old accused David and Victoria 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’.
He began: ‘I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private.
From an early age, Brooklyn was the subject of talk about whether he could follow in his father’s footsteps… with his football ability already being praised when he was just four years old
‘Unfortunately my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.
‘I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.
‘For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family.
‘The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into.
‘Recently, I have seen with my own eyes the lengths that they’ll go through to place countless lies in the media, mostly at the expense of innocent people, to preserve their own facade. But I believe the truth always come out.’
Brooklyn went on to address his wedding to Nicola, claiming there had been repeated attempts to ruin their relationship.
He wrote: ‘My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped.
‘My mum cancelled making Nicola’s dress in the eleventh hour despite how excited she was to wear her design, forcing her to urgently find a new dress.’
‘Weeks before our big day, my parents repeatedly pressured and attempted to bribe me into signing away the rights to my name, which would have affected me, my wife, and our future children.
‘They were adamant on me signing before my wedding date because then the terms of the deal would be initiated.
‘My holdout affected the payday, and they have never treated me the same since.
‘During the wedding planning, my mum went so far as to call me “evil” because Nicola and I chose to include my Nanny Sandra, and Nicola’s Naunni at our table, because they both didn’t have their husbands. Both of our parents had their own tables equally adjacent to ours.
‘The night before our wedding, members of my family told me that Nicola was “not blood” and “not family”.
‘Since the moment I started standing up for myself with my family, I’ve received endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders.
‘Even my brothers were sent to attack me on social media, before they ultimately blocked me out of nowhere this last summer.’
Brooklyn claimed his parents have been trying to end his marriage to Nicola Peltz (pictured) and that Victoria ‘humiliated’ him on his wedding day
Brooklyn went on to address why they were not present at his father’s 50th birthday party in May last year.
Victoria pulled out all the stops for David’s big day, starting with a family party at their Cotswolds pile, followed by a 24-hour trip to his favourite vineyard in France, all topped off by a star-studded dinner at a London restaurant.
While the family celebrated with A-list pals including Tom Cruise and David’s former teammates at three Michelin-star Core in Kensington, west London, the absence of the footballer’s eldest son was glaringly obvious.
Brooklyn said: ‘My wife has been consistently disrespected by my family, no matter how hard we’ve tried to come together as one. My mum has repeatedly invited women from my past into our lives in ways that were clearly intended to make us both uncomfortable.’
Romeo started dating Kim Turnbull – a model previously linked to Brooklyn. She attended some family events before they split last year, but later reconciled.
Brooklyn continued: ‘Despite this, we still travelled to London for my dad’s birthday and were rejected for a week as we waited in our hotel room trying to plan quality time with him. He refused all of our attempts, unless it was at his big birthday party with a hundred guests and cameras at every corner.
‘When he finally agreed to see me, it was under the condition that Nicola wasn’t invited. It was a slap in the face. Later, when my family travelled to LA, they refused to see me at all.’
Brooklyn concluded: ‘My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first.
‘Family “love” is decided by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo op even if it’s at the expense of our professional obligations.
‘We’ve gone out of our way for years to show up and support at every fashion show, every party, and every press activity to show “our perfect family!” But the one time my wife asked for my mum’s support to save displaced dogs during the LA fires, my mum refused.
‘The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards. I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life.
‘I grew up with overwhelming anxiety. For the first time in my life, since stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared. I wake up every morning grateful for the life I chose, and have found peace and relief.
‘My wife and I do not want a life shaped by image, press, or manipulation. All we want peace, privacy and happiness for us and our future family.’
The Daily Mail has contacted the Beckhams for comment.
The Daily Mail revealed that relations between the Beckhams broke down so completely last summer that at one point, Brooklyn asked his parents to contact him only via their respective lawyers, Schillings and Harbottle & Lewis.
‘We’ve gone out of our way for years to show up and support at every fashion show, every party, and every press activity to show “our perfect family!”, he said (pictured 2024)
One source told the Daily Mail: ‘David was told to speak to them via Schillings. That was the only way for them to communicate.’
It’s understood that Brooklyn doesn’t want his parents to contact him directly, or make public statements about him on social media.
There was no legal action between them – and no legal basis for the letter, which was simply a request.
However, Brooklyn still remains in regular contact with both sets of grandparents.
