16 August 2023 , 10:25
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David Beckham was just one of the A-list celebrities to express support for the Lionesses ahead of their Women's World Cup match this morning.
The England women's national football team takes on Australia in Sydney at 11am GMT time on Wednesday, after sailing into the highly-anticipated semi-final with their 2-1 win against Columbia at the weekend. The match has sparked excitement across the nation, with many footie fans even booking the day off work to cheer on the talented sportswomen from home.
The Lionesses received a flood of encouraging messages and David Beckham also sent his good luck wishes to the team, taking to Instagram on Tuesday on behalf of England Football to commend their hard work and offer an empowering pep talk. However, despite David's good-hearted intentions, some of his fans expressed their upset with his choice of wording.
David Beckham took to Instagram to share a sweet message to the Lionesses with daughter Harper (Instagram)"Hey girls," the 48-year-old says in the opening of the short clip. "What a tournament it's been so far. It's been so much fun to watch and we're all so proud. Seeing you girls play as a team has been really incredible, so continue to do so. Good luck in this next game and just know that our whole nation is behind you as always."
David's kind words are echoed by his 13-year-old daughter, who appears at the end of the film to wave and say, "Good luck Lionesses!" David then turns the camera back on to himself and says, "And there's Harper," before praising the Lionesses for 'inspiring' his youngest child. "It's incredible to watch," he added.
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Harper also wished the Lionesses luck (Instagram)
David also shared his support on his Instagram Story (Instagram)Some fans took to the comment section to object to David's use of the word 'girls' to describe the squad of women. "Not sure that's the right way to start the video," complained one. "It’s WOMEN not girls," another person wrote, while another said, "They're women David. Women!"
However, other followers jumped to the Miami owner's defence pointing out: "‘When we refer to a team in men’s football or address the players, we also say “the boys did well” or “the lads got the job done”, etc. Never have I ever heard anyone with any bit of footballing IQ or knowledge say “the men made us proud” or “the men played well” when talking about the players."
David also shared a photo of the Lionesses to his Instagram Stories on Wednesday morning, hailing the "incredible team spirit" of the "special squad." In a second Story, he posted a photo of the team's manager, Sarina Wiegman, with the caption, "Good luck boss."