David Beckham Says Filming Netflix Doc 'Was an Emotional Rollercoaster' but He's 'Very Proud of' Its Success

"It was a series that took me a while to come to terms with filming and talking about my life," Beckham said at a launch party for his fragrances in New York City

David Beckham is feeling 'very proud of' the success of his Netflix documentary Beckham as it hits no. 1.

Beckham, 48, spoke about the documentary's acclaim at the David Beckham Fragrances Launch Party at hotspot restaurant Torrisi in New York City, where he debuted three new scents.

The former soccer star told guests that it was "a huge honor" for him to work with Netflix and Beckham director Fisher Stevens.

"It was a series that took me a while to come to terms with filming, and talking about my life," Beckham shared. "And ten years ago when I retired from playing soccer people asked me to do it and I wasn't really ready to look back and talk about my career and my life."

The retired soccer star said he "was ready to move on straight away" after retirement to focus on his business endeavors.

Related: Every Must-See Photo of the Beckham Family at David's Documentary Premiere in London

"But then about two or three years before the tenth anniversary of my retirement, I thought, okay, maybe this is the right time now to tell the story," Beckham explained.

After he was able to find "the right team" in Stevens and Netflix to produce the project, Beckham said filming for more than 50 hours over the course of more than two years was a "hell of a journey."

He added, "It wasn't easy and it was an emotional rollercoaster over the last two and a half years but I think we’ve produced something that my team can be very proud of."

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Beckham's documentary "scored big, debuting atop the English TV List with 12.4M views," a spokesperson for Netflix told PEOPLE on Thursday.

Stevens, 59, recently told PEOPLE that the British soccer star was "so open" while filming the Netflix docuseries.

The Beckham director and Succession alum said, “He wasn't what I expected at all. He was so open. He's like, I'm ready. I want to tell my story before someone else does. And then I started doing research and I was like, ‘Jesus, this guy's life is nuts. Nuts.’ I had no idea."

Related: David Beckham Tells Victoria Beckham to 'Be Honest' After She Claims She Grew Up 'Working Class'

The filmmaker, whom Beckham called "incredible" at the Coty event, told PEOPLE that he was surprised by how the athlete’s inherent skills — including his attention to detail — translate now in retirement.

“There's a kind of warmth to him, he listens and he's warm and he seems to [care] about people a lot,” Stevens said. “He has an incredible aesthetic. He's not educated, he's not an intellectual by any means, but there is an innate intelligence to him of how to read people and sort of how to read a room.”

Beckham is streaming on Netflix now.

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