What had happened in 2002 to make beckham a hero?

Answer 1

He helped England to qualify for the 2002 World Cup Finals, with their performances including an impressive 5-1 victory over Germany in Munich. The final step in Beckham's conversion from villain to hero happened in England's 2-2 draw against Greece on 6 October 2001. England needed to win or draw the match in order to qualify outright for the World Cup, but were losing 2-1 with little time remaining. When Teddy Sheringham was fouled eight yards (7 metres) outside the Greek penalty area, England were awarded a free-kick and Beckham ensured England's qualification with a curling strike of the kind that had become his trademark.

Beckham was partially fit by the time of the 2002 World Cup and played in the first match against Sweden. Beckham scored the winning goal of the match against Argentina with a penalty, causing Argentina to fail to qualify for the knockout stage.