David Beckham and the look that still haunts him

When you talk about David Beckham, you're talking about a one-of-a-kind footballer, a peerless right leg, an outstanding entrepreneur and a style icon for millions of people. And while the latter might be his biggest claim to fame in the present day, he hasn't always nailed it.

Since arriving at the elite level, the English footballer has been a trendsetter for many of his fans, who have copied his hairstyles, looks and even his style of play. Everyone wanted to be like Beckham, not just Keira Knightley.

But of course, after countless looks, there are bound to be some bad choices made and there are some outfits that Beckham himself remembers with a strong sense of cringe.

During an interview with The Sun, he admitted that there is one hairstyle that he still regrets after more than 20 years. Can you guess which one?

Yes, it's the cornrows that he had done in May 2003. Add to that the fact that he wore them the day he met one of the most influential people of the 20th century: Nelson Mandela.

David Beckham himself recalls: "I did them on Saturday and on Monday I flew to South Africa with the national team. I got to meet the great Nelson Mandela and the image I have of Nelson Mandela is me holding his hand with cornrows in my hair."

And if anyone doubts that his words have been misconstrued, he clarifies: "That's the only thing I regret."

But where did the urge to braid his hair come from, especially when he knew he had an appointment with Nelson Mandela a few days later?

"We were in the south of France with family and a friend of Victoria's who is a hairdresser asked me if she could do something with my hair and offered to braid my hair. I said yes. I remember it being painful, but I also remember liking them," Beckham told The Sun.

And while he's regretted the look over time, countless David Beckham fans have copied it and braided their hair too.

And it's not the only time that has happened as the former England footballer has previously sported another questionable hairstyle that became a trend for fashion reasons. That's what happens when you're an influencer.

Of course, the look that comes to everyone's mind is that of his presentation with Real Madrid, where Beckham sported an impossible hairstyle in front of everyone.

It was July 2, 2003. David Beckham arrived with a perfect off-duty look: ripped jeans, a shirt and a white jacket, a nod to the team color. But why did he wear two ponytails?

His hairstyle was as groundbreaking as it was elusive, with a small high ponytail and a smaller, slightly lower one. The reaction was incredible...

The next day, thousands of fans around the world, mostly minors with long enough hair, wore this strange but original look. Beckham had done it again. However, his own double ponytail soon transformed into a simple one.

And since all good things come in threes, it's worth remembering that David Beckham discovered the mohawk in February 2002, albeit with a personal touch that didn't sit well with his die-hard fans.

To the classic undercut, where the hair is slicked back and short on top, he added a razor cut down the center of the bangs that looked more like a hairdressing mistake than a conscious choice.

Granted, he didn't look terrible, but you can put roaches on David Beckham's head and dye his hair green and he'll still look handsome.

He would have to do something drastic to reach the extreme level of Ronaldo Nazario at the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan. We don't see that happening...

In fact, the Brazilian striker even apologized to the mothers who had to endure their children with this hairstyle. But his strategy worked because the journalists stopped talking about his injuries and focused on the haircut. In the end, Brazil won the World Cup. Ronaldo scored both goals in the final, proving he can't go wrong when it comes to football.