Man Utd receptionist recalls receiving bullets in letters following David Beckham's red card for England in 1998 World Cup

• Beckham sent off for England
• Became hate figure for fans
• Bullets sent in mail to Manchester United

WHAT HAPPENED? Beckham became public enemy No.1 after being sent off for England during the 1998 World Cup. The midfielder, who was playing for Manchester United at the time, was subjected to vile abuse from football fans, with some supporters even sending bullets in the mail to Old Trafford. Kath Phipps, who worked as a receptionist at the club at the time, discussed the incident with Beckham's father Ted in a Netflix documentary's about the star's life.

WHAT THEY SAID: “That is when Kathy found bullets in letters. So the club had to get the police in because of the threats to him," Beckham senior revealed.

“I would never speak about that. Please forgive me but I would never speak about that," added Kath. "I didn’t like it at all, but I had no say in the matter. I would have loved to, but you can’t. I just kept shut, like I always have done."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Beckham famously managed to turn his situation around to become one of English football's most popular players. The midfielder went on to captain his country and win over 100 caps during an illustrious career that also saw him play for Real Madrid, PSG, AC Milan and LA Galaxy.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

Getty

Getty

WHAT NEXT? Beckham remains involved in football and is currently co-owner at Inter Miami where he's already pulled off his "dream" signing of landing Lionel Messi. The former United No.7 has also said previously he could be tempted to return to United as part of a takeover if he received an approach.