Much as he failed to lead England’s football team to any major silverware, David Beckham has failed to prevent the publication of a series of stroppy emails he sent his PR advisers between 2013 and 2015.

The Guardian reports the emails were stolen from Doyen Sports, the sister company of Doyen Global, which represents Beckham, sometime in 2015. They contained several slightly embarrassing revelations, including his expletive-laden response to not being granted a knighthood in 2013 (and, you know, some would argue that’s fair enough), HM Revenue and Customs’ concerns about his tax arrangements, and his anger at being asked to make a large donation to Unicef, for which he is a “global ambassador”.

Last December a High Court injunction blocked their publication, but several outlets across Europe (including Der Spiegel in Germany and L’Equipe  in France) did so anyway. Then The Sun and The Daily Mail followed suit.

The report quotes “a source close to Beckham” as saying “because it is across multiple jurisdictions, it is almost impossible to do anything of substance”.

“This illustrates one of the difficulties in obtaining injunctions in a globalised, internet-based society,” media barrister Sara Mansoori told The Guardian. “The other option is for claimants to seek injunctions in all different jurisdictions but that is not a practical way to proceed for anybody.”

It also illustrates the timeless truth: the right clothes, a great car and a flawless profile can get you far, but it can’t get you everything. — Charlie Lewis