Why David Beckham Skipped The Birth Of His Son Cruz

Victoria and David Beckham share a long marriage and four children: Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz, and Harper. The couple became parents at a young age, 24 and 23, respectively, which David particularly appreciated since he enjoyed watching his children grow during his iconic career in pro soccer. 

However, just as David was about to become a father of three, a work assignment created a major conflict between his professional and parental responsibilities. In 2005, the Beckhams were living in Spain, and David was mid-way through a four-year contract with Real Madrid. Although Cruz was expected in March, Victoria's doctors scheduled her for a cesarean section in late February. The fashion designer and former Spice Girl was on bed rest and excited about the prospect of meeting her new baby. Then, to her dismay, David informed her that he had already committed to a photo shoot with Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé.

Victoria was flabbergasted at the news. She went ahead with the scheduled surgery, and during her time at the hospital, someone showed her a front-page photo of her husband in between the two stunning singers. To add to her ire, the picture was captioned, "What will Posh say?" In the Netflix docuseries "Beckham," Victoria recalled her mindset at the time, saying, "Let me tell you want Posh would say. Posh was p***ed off." Ultimately, David did make it to the hospital to meet his third son and introduce his older kids to their new baby brother, although it's not clear when he arrived.

In addition to showing up late for Cruz's birth, David Beckham nearly missed the birth of his oldest child, Brooklyn. At the time, David was playing for Manchester United, and after two weeks of watchful waiting, Victoria Beckham still hadn't gone into labor. Angry and worried that David would miss the birth, Victoria, who was treated horribly by the media while pregnant, had a heated phone exchange with him right before a quarterfinal game on March 3, 1999. Luckily, Brooklyn was born a day later, and David was present for his oldest son's arrival.

Afterwards, David decided to make a brief media appearance to share the news. First, however, he asked his wife if she would style his hair. This was a rather bold request of the soccer star, since Victoria had given birth via a c-section and the lower half of her body was numbed from an epidural. 

Unfortunately, Brooklyn's arrival coincided with one of the most difficult points in David's career: England's 1998 World Cup defeat after his red card for inappropriate behavior. David had learned he was going to be a first-time dad the day before the June 30 game, and he was still dealing with fans' anger when Brooklyn was born. Things escalated to the point where the Beckhams received threats on David's life and their baby's safety. To protect his newborn, David blocked the hospital room door with his head while he slept.

Despite the complications behind not being present at his son Cruz's birth, David Beckham is committed to raising his kids. "As a father, you become less important and it's all about your children," David explained to The Father Hood. Although David and Victoria Beckham's kids live lavish lives, the retired soccer player and former Spice Girl have tried to instill gratitude and an appreciation of hard work in their four children.

Even with their busy careers, David has acknowledged that spending time with his kids is paramount. When he reminisces about his experiences as a parent, David is particularly nostalgic about the days when his kids were babies and he'd get up with them during the night. Over the years, he's also enjoyed everyday tasks like making breakfast for his family or accompanying Harper, his youngest, to her school.  While school drop-offs are easier now that the Beckhams' oldest three are adults, David used to put in some serious time transporting his kids. Speaking to Jimmy Kimmel in 2015, David joked that he was an "Uber driver," and he spent over an hour each morning to get each child to their respective school. Later, in addition to picking his kids up, he also drove his sons to soccer practice each night. Like lots of dads, David has also made a point to express his love even when his kids found it embarrassing, like giving Romeo a big hug in front of his school.