Michael Owen says he still feels 'resentment' towards David Beckham following his infamous red card against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup.
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Owen resents Beckham for '98 red cardDidn't think he should have been sent offStill bitter over 1998 World Cup incidentWHAT HAPPENED?
Beckham received a red card for kicking out at Diego Simeone, before England went out on penalties to Argentina in the last-16 of the competition. The then-Manchester United player received a huge backlash from the English media and fans for months and months off the back of his actions. Now ex-striker Owen, who burst onto the scene for his country in that tournament and scored a stunning goal against Argentina in the same game, says he still feels bitter about what the winger did 25 years on.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT MICHAEL OWEN SAID
He said on William Hill’s Up Front with Simon Jordan: "Firstly, I don’t believe David Beckham’s kick out at Diego Simeone should’ve been a red card, but that is irrelevant. He made a mistake and that is where my resentment lies. For a lot of players you only get one shot at a World Cup, and he made a big mistake – he would admit that. You could say that it contributed to us being knocked out and that is a big thing.
"You can resent a lot of things if you use that word, and I do resent a lot of things. Paul Ince missed a penalty and I resent him choosing to shoot the ball one way instead of the other, in the same way I resent Beckham making the decision to kick out at Simeone.
"I resent his actions for all manner of reasons. It was a mistake that only he made and it makes you think that if he hadn’t done it, we could have beaten Argentina. I’m absolutely convinced that we would’ve beaten them with 11 men because we were the better team. We had an unbelievable team so of course I think to myself what could have been."
Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Beckham's red card in that World Cup was one of the biggest controversies in English football history. He was public enemy number one for a long time and his sending off certainly lessened his side's chances of advancing in the competition. But there have been better England sides since then and they have failed to win the illustrious tournament, and yet the fact that Owen has not gotten over this shows the scars from that incident run deep.
WHAT NEXT?
Owen's comments may spark more debate about Beckham's red card and potentially lead to a response from the former England captain.