A poster going by the name of “YellowFeather” over at The Motley Fool has a theory why David Beckham thought it was okay to have the last “word” in his on-the-pitch feud with Thatcher [that’s the footballer, not the former UK Prime Minister or any of her relatives] during the England vs Wales World Cup qualifying match yesterday:

“After hearing the BBC commentators getting so worked up about Beckham’s yellow card I can’t help thinking that he is a bit more intelligent than he is given credit for.

“As Motty himself pointed out earlier in the match – two yellow cards in WC qualifying games means a one match ban and Beckham already has one booking to his name. So Beckham gets fouled by the clod Thatcher, feels his rib go and knows that he won’t be fit by Wednesday. He realises that if he gets a booking before he gets subbed off then he will be suspended from the game against Azerbaijan, which he would miss through injury anyway. His slate is then wiped clean as regards his bookings for England.

“Beckham jumps on Thatcher.”

[“Motty” is the nickname given to famous BBC football commentator John Motson.]