Beckham sobbed uncontrollably after red card and Owen still resents him

It was on this day more than two decades ago that David Beckham was transformed from the nation's darling into a villain overnight.

The Manchester United star suffered a 'moment of madness' and was dismissed for a kick out at Diego Simeone during the World Cup round-of-16 tie against Argentina on June 30, 1998. England would go on to be knocked out in a penalty shootout, and the nation seemingly rounded on their scapegoat.

Brutally vilified by football fans, Beckham spent months as public enemy number one. The future Real Madrid star would go on to transform his international career and eventually captain the Three Lions, earning 115 caps over a 14-year period.

However, the backlash which followed his red card is one that left Beckham reliant on the backing of Sir Alex Ferguson and the loyal Red Devils fanbase. The now-Inter Miami owner opened up on the relentless criticism he faced in a recent interview with former England and United team-mate Gary Neville.

Beckham told the Overlap: "I remember how tough it was. It was a tough tournament to start off with, it got better then it got really bad.

"That was a tough start [not getting picked for the first two games], what happened after that it was tough all round. I never felt I was frustrated playing in those games.

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"I don't remember going on that pitch wanting to prove a point because I had been left out of other games. It was just a moment that happened where I reacted - it was a moment of madness, really.

"When I look back on my career and talk about regrets, I wish that never happened. But on the flip side, if it didn't happen, I might not have had the career that I had.

"It's probably harsh to say I still feel let down [by team-mates] but I look back at that moment - we were young. I made a mistake but there's certain people in football you expect to get behind you no matter what. We always had that at United, but I felt let down.

"I don't think I've ever been as emotional as I was coming out of that ground and seeing my mum and dad. I was crying uncontrollable sobbing, which is slightly embarrassing. At the time, the Argentina coach was going past and they were all banging [on the window]."

The Three Lions managed to hold out for penalty shootout despite their numerical disadvantage, and David Seaman denied Hernan Crespo from the spot. However, Argentina shot-stopper Carlos Roa saved from Paul Ince and David Batty to seal a third shootout defeat for England in a decade.

It was a tournament which saw Michael Owen break on to the international scene, with the teenager scoring an outstanding individual effort to put England in front. The Liverpool striker also converted his penalty in the shootout after the match finished 2-2 after extra time.

Owen would go on to become a fixture in the England squad for the following decade, scoring 40 goals in 89 international appearances. However, the pundit has admitted he still bears a grudge against Beckham due to the pain of that night in Saint-Etienne.

He wrote in his autobiography Reboot : "Sitting here now, with the benefit of hindsight and perspective, I feel that what David did probably wasn't a red card offence in the first place. While it was clearly pre-meditated, it was immature and petulant more than it was violent. But for me, that almost makes it worse.

"All I can say is that, as I sit here now writing this book, knowing how lucky a player is to appear in one World Cup, never mind more than one, I'd be lying if I didn't say that what David did that day hadn't let every single one of that England team down.

"Did he deserve the abuse he got afterwards? Certainly not. What human being needs to see his or her effigy being burned? But David let us down, and I still hold some resentment about it today."