'I should never have taken it' – David Beckham admits assuming captaincy from Landon Donovan was his biggest LA Galaxy regret

The England legend discussed the decision that he now wishes he could take back, despite winning multiple MLS championships

Beckham regrets taking captaincy from DonovanSays he initially refused owner's requestThe pair won multiple MLS championships togetherGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED

David Beckham, the current Inter Miami co-owner and former Real Madrid and Manchester United superstar, made 124 appearances for the LA Galaxy, winning back-to-back MLS Cups alongside club legend Landon Donovan and other greats.

However, Beckham admitted that his biggest regret was taking the armband from the American after the team's ownership approached him to do so, discussing the situation on his UEFA Champions League alternative show "Beckham & Friends Live."

"When I first moved to LA, Landon Donovan was the captain,” Beckham said on CBS Sports. “And the owner of the team came to me and said, 'I want you to be captain.' And I said, 'No, Landon Donovan is the captain.' And then a week went by and they came to me again and said they spoke to Landon, Landon’s completely fine with it.

“I then asked Landon and he said ‘Yeah, of course no problem.’ And they gave me the captain’s armband. It’s my one regret, I should never have taken it off of Landon.”

AdvertisementWHAT DAVID BECKHAM SAIDGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Beckham's arrival at LA Galaxy in 2007 represented a watershed moment for Major League Soccer, bringing unprecedented attention and legitimacy to the American league.

However, the captaincy situation with Donovan revealed the challenges of integrating international superstars into established team cultures.

The two players eventually resolved their differences after a tumultuous period that included public criticism from Donovan in 2009. Donovan was quoted that year in “The Beckham Experiment” by then-Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl.

“When David first came, I believed he was committed to what he was doing,” Donovan said. “He cared. He wanted to do well. He wanted the team and the league to do well.”

But something changed, according to Donovan, and Beckham decided soon after the former coach Ruud Gullit was fired that it wasn’t worth his time. “He just flipped a switch and said, ‘Uh-huh, I’m not doing it anymore’.”

“I can’t think of another guy where I’d say he wasn’t a good teammate, he didn’t give everything through all this, he didn’t still care,” Donovan said. “But with (Beckham), I’d say no, he wasn’t committed.”

AFPWHAT’S NEXT?

MLS teams continue to navigate the delicate balance between signing international stars and respecting homegrown talent. Beckham will hope to avoid any such issues with his Inter Miami team, led by Lionel Messi, as they look to defend their Supporters' Shield this season.