Football 

Though David Beckham retired from professional soccer many years ago, Brooklyn once aspired to follow in his father’s footsteps. During his younger years, he played for Arsenal’s youth team but eventually chose to leave the sport after rejecting a scholarship offer.

In a 2022 interview with Variety magazine, David Beckham reflected on Brooklyn’s time as a young soccer trainee. Brooklyn opened up about the intense pressure of being the son of a celebrated soccer player, saying, “My dad wasn’t sad, because he was like, ‘I just want you to be happy’. But of course, I was sad. It was my whole life since I was literally two. To try and live up to what my dad did in football, I was just like, ‘That’s going to be a bit difficult’.”

It is understood that the decision “broke [David’s] heart”, with the dad-of-four later telling ABC in 2015: “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’. He said, ‘Every time I step onto 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’.”  

(Image: PA)

Barista 

When Brooklyn was 15, he hit the headlines after he landed his first part-time job working as a barista in a local coffee shop in West London. One year before his first job, David said he and Victoria always stressed the importance of being hardworking to their children.  

Speaking to the Huffington Post: “We try to lead by example, by showing them it’s important to work hard. That’s one of the key thinks me and my wife have always done…  

“We juggle everything around the family because our main priority is the children, simple as that, and it always will be, but being hardworking is the best thing you can show children.”  

(Image: Variety via Getty Images)

Photography 

Later in life, Brooklyn turned his hand to photography, assisting renowned fashion photographer Rakin and enrolling at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York. But just a few years into the course, he decided to withdraw from the academy without completing his studies.  

When he was 16, the teen landed the opportunity to photograph a campaign for the Burberry Brit fragrance and went on to shoot for 1883 Magazine with Sophie Turner, as well as a series of images for Victoria Beckham’s Reebok collaboration. 

In 2017, Brooklyn released a photography book titled What I See, which was met with a wave of backlash for its obscured images. He went on to address the criticism at the time when he told W Magazine that it was part of his unique artistic style. He told the outlet: “Some people thought I did [it by] accident, which is why I kind of had to explain it. But, you know, it’s kind of my style.”  

(Image: PA)

Modelling 

Brooklyn proved he is talented both in front and behind the camera when he had his first-ever cover shoot in 2014, appearing in a 20-page cover story about teen style in Man About Town magazine. In 2021, Brooklyn landed a £1million contract with Superdry; however, the campaign was short-lived and ended the following year.  

The company shared a statement explaining why they parted ways with Brooklyn, which read: “Superdry works with a range of ambassadors and enjoyed working with Brooklyn during the launch of our new flagship Oxford Street store and during our Autumn/Winter 21 campaign. We always review the ambassadors who feature in our campaigns and decided to work with a different range of talent for Spring/Summer 22.”  

(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Bur)