Private Life Affected Performance
Monday, August 16, 2004

England captain David Beckham admits speculation over his private life affected his performances at Euro 2004.

The Real Madrid midfielder put in some below-par displays as England were knocked out in the quarter-finals.

He missed a penalty as England lost 2-1 to France and another in the shoot-out loss against Portugal in Lisbon.

"I can see that maybe I was taking what was happening on and off the pitch with me onto the pitch in Portugal," he told the BBC's Match of the Day programme.

"My performances may have suffered slightly"

Beckham originally blamed his poor performances on the low level of fitness work at his club, which drew criticism from former Real Madrid manager Carlos Queiroz.

But the former Manchester United star has now revealed that he was affected by what was happening off the pitch.

His former personal assistant Rebecca Loos alleged that he had an affair with her last year, which Beckham labelled as "ludicrous".

And Beckham added: "A lot of things were said about me last season that were not true."

Beckham has now settled in Spain with his family.

He added: "We are together as a family in Madrid now and that is wonderful.

"They were actually out here more last season than some people thought but we had trouble finding the right school for Brooklyn.

"Now we have got a school for him and a playgroup for Romeo, while Victoria is working from Madrid."

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