Cruz Beckham turns 21! David Beckham brands son ‘fiercely loyal to family and friends’ with thinly veiled reference to Brooklyn’s ongoing estrangement as he leads tributes

David Beckham led the birthday tributes to ‘kind, considerate and fiercely loyal’ son Cruz in a pointed Instagram post on Friday morning as his estrangement from eldest child Brooklyn continues. 

The former Manchester United and England footballer was among the first family members to post birthday messages as the young musician celebrated his milestone 21st. 

Sharing a video of Cruz as a child, the retired sportsman appeared to reference his eldest son’s decision to distance himself from his immediate family in a post filled with platitudes for the young musician. 

But there appeared to be a veiled reference to Brooklyn, whose decision to cut ties with his family recently extended to close family friend Gordon Ramsay and his eldest children, twins Holly and Jack.  

‘Happy 21st birthday to my little boy,’ he wrote. ‘Not so little anymore but the proudest thing that I am of you is the person and man that you have become, you are kind, considerate and fiercely loyal to your family , friends and everyone around you which makes you a very special person. 

‘You are on your own journey in life and you are working hard and having fun which is what life is all about… We love you Cruzie and hope you have the most amazing day because you deserve to.’ 

Accompanying video footage showed a young Cruz honing his musical talents by playing the guitar and piano, spending time with his parents and holidaying with his siblings – including Brooklyn.

Signing off with a reference to his wife, he added: ‘Well done mum on bringing up another special young man.’ 

Sharing a video filled with personal family moments, Victoria added: ‘Happy birthday…. we could not be prouder of the sweet, kind, talented young man you have become. 

‘You have worked so hard and learned your craft, the world is now your oyster. We love you so much!!’ 

Elsewhere, older Romeo shared a throwback photo of himself and an infant Cruz alongside their fashion designer mother, with the accompanying caption: ‘Love you bro.’ 

The musician’s girlfriend Jackie Apostel also wished ‘her human’ a happy birthday, alongside a recent image of Cruz. 

Sharing a separate array of photos documenting her boyfriend’s life, from infancy to the present day, she added: ‘You’ve been the exact same since day 0.’ 

Proud aunt Jackie Adams – mum Victoria’s younger sister – added: ‘Happy birthday to one of the most amazing humans I know.’ 

Just days earlier, David and Victoria bankrolled a lavish, Beatles themed party for their son at Mayfair restaurant The Maine – an event attended by all except US based Brooklyn and his actress wife, Nicola Peltz. 

The guitarist, whose budding music career appears to be hitting all the right notes with fans, had celebrated his milestone birthday early, with David and Victoria throwing a party for their youngest son on Monday evening. 

The family their hair down at New England themed restaurant The Maine – where guests feasted on a hearty menu of cheeseburgers, chicken burgers and fish tacos.

Billed as the Grande Beatle Ball in honour of his biggest musical influence, Monday’s milestone gave guests including parents David and Victoria, girlfriend Jackie, brother Romeo and sister Harper an opportunity to quite literally Twist And Shout into the early hours.

But the Fab Four appeared to be a member short, with estranged eldest brother Brooklyn notably absent from the latest in a long line of family events as his three siblings celebrated without him. 

Wearing a vintage suit that was more in line with Buster Keaton than The Beatles, Cruz joined his fashion designer mum as she resurrected her iconic Spice Girls peace pose while posing for a social media snap. 

The young musician, whose new single For Your Love was released last Friday, was also accompanied by his band, The Breakers, with whom he took to the stage for a live performance. 

The night was rounded off with a performance by a Beatles tribute act, dressed in outfits identical to those worn by the band on the cover of their 1969 album, Abbey Road. 

Taking to Instagram, Jackie shared video footage from a raucous dancefloor as guests danced to Twist And Shout, one of the group’s best known hits. 

The event was the latest in a long line of family occasions to be snubbed by Brooklyn, last seen on Thursday, promoting his Cloud 23 hot sauce range at the 2026 South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami Beach in Florida. 

Now based in the United States with his actress wife – the daughter of billionaire businessman and investor Nelson Peltz – Brooklyn recently outlined his desire to distance himself from his family in a six page Instagram statement, filled with lurid allegations.

Addressing social media followers in January, Brooklyn claimed his parents had tried to sabotage his marriage and have always prioritised public branding over their family relationships.

‘For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family,’ he wrote in six pages of text, shared on Instagram.

‘The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into.’

He added: ‘Recently, I have seen with my own eyes the lengths that they´ll go through to place countless lies in the media, mostly at the expense of innocent people, to preserve their own facade. But I believe the truth always comes out.’

Unlike his three younger siblings, Brooklyn did not appear in his mother’s recent Netflix docuseries, nor did he show up at the October premiere as he and Peltz had for the London premiere of his father’s docuseries in 2023.

Brooklyn and his wife also missed David’s 50th birthday celebrations last May, and were notably absent at Windsor Castle for the former footballer’s long awaited investiture on November 4.