July 04, 2023
David Beckham said the only regret he has is getting cornrows before his meeting with Nelson Mandela in 2003
The former football legend told The Sun how he ended up with the hairstyle after he had asked a friend of his wife Victoria Beckham to help him with his hair.
Beckham, partly famous for his plethora of hairstyles while he made his name in the world of football ranging from a mohawk, ponytails, buzzcuts and bleached blonde hair, shared he did not know what "cornrows" were before getting them.
In a conversation with the outlet, Beckham revealed the hairstyle he regretted the most was cornrows which he got while he was in France – right before meeting the former president of South Africa back in 2003.
“We were there with family and one of Victoria’s friends who is a hairdresser,” the father-of-four said, according to the publication.
“I asked if she could do something with my hair and she said, ‘Do you want cornrows?’ and I said, ‘Yeah. I don’t know what they are. But yeah.’ It was painful having them done but I liked them,” he added.
“People ask if I have any regrets about my hairstyles and while I don’t regret any of them, I do sort of regret the cornrows.
“I had them put in on the Saturday and on the Monday I flew to South Africa with the England team for a match,” Beckham shared.
“I got to meet the greet Nelson Mandela. And the picture that I’ve got of Nelson Mandela is me holding his hand with cornrows in my hair. That’s my only regret.”