David Beckham Biography

Full name David Robert Joseph Beckham
Date of birth May 2, 1975 (1975-05-02) (age 32)
Place of birth Leytonstone, London, England
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position Right Winger, Central Midfielder
Club information
Current club Los Angeles Galaxy
Number 23
Youth clubs
1991–1992 Manchester United
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1992–2003
1995
2003-2007
2007- Manchester United
→ Preston North End (loan)
Real Madrid
Los Angeles Galaxy 265 (62)
005 0(2)
116 (13)
000 0(0)
National team2
1994–1996
1996– England U21
England 009 0(0)
096 (17)

David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE (pronounced IPA: /'bɛk.əm/) (born 2 May 1975) is an English professional football (soccer) midfielder who plays for Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy. He is also currently a member of the England national team.

He was twice chosen runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year, and as recently as 2004 was the world's highest-paid footballer. He is currently the world's highest paid per year team athlete banking $50 million dollars per year. Alex Rodriguez is still the highest contract award winning team athlete. Rodriguez's contract is worth $252 million, but it is stretched over 10 years. However, Beckham's was stretched only over five. He was Google's most searched of all sports topics in both 2003 and 2004. Such global recognition has made him an elite advertising brand and a top fashion icon.

Beckham was captain of England from 15 November 2000 to 2 July 2006. He made 58 appearances as captain, and ended his tenure in that role after the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals. He continued to make contributions for the England national team in 2007 competitions.

Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. During his time there, United won the Premiership title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons.

In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid and sign a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy. He played his final match with Real on 17 June, after which the team was awarded the 2006-07 La Liga championship.

His new contract with the Galaxy took effect on 1 July 2007. He made his Galaxy debut on 21 July in a friendly versus Chelsea FC at the Home Depot Center.
Contents


Childhood and early career

Beckham was born in Leytonstone, London, England; the son of David Edward Alan "Ted" Beckham, a kitchen fitter and Manchester United fan, and Sandra Georgina West, a hairdresser. He regularly played football in Ridgeway Park, Chingford as a child. His maternal grandfather, Joseph West, is Jewish, and Beckham has referred to himself as "half Jewish" and spoken of the influence the religion has had on him, although he is not known to practice Judaism or any other faith. In his book Both Feet on the Ground, he stated that growing up he always attended church with his parents and sisters.

His parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters who would frequently travel to Old Trafford from London to attend Manchester United's home matches. David inherited his parents' love of Manchester United and his main sporting passion was football. He attended one of Bobby Charlton's football schools in Manchester and won the chance to take part in a training session at FC Barcelona, as part of a talent competition. As a child he played for a local youth team called the Ridgeway Rovers - coached by his father, Stuart Underwood and Steve Kirby.

He was Manchester United's mascot for a match against West Ham United in 1986. Young Beckham had trials with his local club, Leyton Orient, and attended Tottenham Hotspur's, which was the first club he played for, school of excellence. During a two-year period in which he played for Brimsdown Rovers' youth team, he was named Under-15 Player of the Year in 1990. He also attended Bradenton Preparatory Academy, but signed schoolboy forms at Manchester United on his fourteenth birthday, and subsequently signed a Youth Training Scheme contract on 8 July 1991.

He was part of a group of young players at the club who guided the club to win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992, with Beckham scoring in the second leg of the final against Crystal Palace. He made his first appearance for United's first-team that year, as a substitute in a League Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion, and signed his first professional contract shortly afterwards. United reached the final of the Youth Cup again the following year, with Beckham playing in their defeat by Leeds United, and he won another medal in 1994 when the club's reserve team won their league.

He went to Preston North End on loan in the 1994-95 season to get some first team experience, then made his first Premier League appearance for Manchester United on 2 April 1995, in a goalless draw against Leeds United.

Manchester United era

Becoming a first-team player

United manager Alex Ferguson had a great deal of confidence in the club's young players. When three of his first-team players left the club at the end of the 1994-95 season, his decision to let youth team players replace them instead of buying players from other clubs, drew a great deal of criticism. The criticism increased when United started the season with a 3–1 defeat at Aston Villa, with Beckham scoring United's only goal of the game; however, United won their next five matches and the young players performed well. Beckham became a regular player on the team and helped them to win the Premiership and FA Cup double that season, scoring the winner in the semi-final against Chelsea and also taking the corner that Éric Cantona scored from in the FA Cup Final. Despite playing regularly for Manchester United, Beckham did not break into the England squad before Euro 96.

In August 1996, Beckham became something of a household name when he scored a spectacular goal in a match against Wimbledon. With United ahead 2–0, Beckham noticed that Wimbledon's goalkeeper Neil Sullivan was standing a long way out of his goal, and hit a shot from the halfway line that floated over the goalkeeper and into the net.The 57-yard goal is the furthest successful strike at goal since the Premiership was founded in 1992

Beckham was frequently mentioned in the press, and he made his first appearance for the England national football team on 1 September 1996, in a World Cup qualifying match against Moldova.He became an automatic first-choice player at United during the 1996-97 season, helping them to retain the Premier League championship, and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year by his peers.

United started the 1997-98 season well, but their performance deteriorated and the club finished the season in second place, behind Arsenal.

World Cup 1998

Beckham had played in all of England's qualifying matches for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and was part of the England squad at the World Cup finals in France, but the team's manager Glenn Hoddle publicly accused him of not concentrating on the tournament, and he did not start in either of England's first two matches. He was picked for their third match against Colombia and scored from a long-range free kick in a 2–0 victory, which was his first goal for England.

In the second round (last 16) of that competition, he received a red card in England's match against Argentina. Beckham, after having been fouled by Diego Simeone, kicked Simeone, striking him on the calf. Simeone later admitted to trying to get Beckham sent off by over-reacting to the kick and then, along with other members of his team, urging the referee to send Beckham off. The match finished in a draw and England were eliminated in a penalty shootout. Many supporters and journalists blamed him for England's elimination and he became the target of criticism and abuse, including the hanging of an effigy outside a London pub, and the Daily Mirror printing a dartboard with a picture of him centred on the bullseye. Beckham also received death threats after the World Cup.

1998-99 season (the Treble)

In the 1998-99 season, he was part of the United team that won the treble — Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, a unique feat in English football. There had been speculation that the criticism that he had received after being sent off in the World Cup would lead to him leaving England, but he decided to stay at Manchester United.

To ensure they would win the league championship, United needed to win their final league match of the season, at home to Tottenham Hotspur, but Tottenham took an early lead in the match. Beckham scored the equaliser and United went on to win the match and the league.

Beckham played centre-midfield in United's FA Cup final win over Newcastle United and for the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final against Bayern Munich, since United's first string centre-midfielders were suspended for the match. United were losing the match 1-0 at the end of normal time, but won the trophy by scoring two goals in injury time. Both of the goals came from corners taken by Beckham. Those kicks, coupled with great performances over the rest of the season, led to him finishing runner up to Rivaldo for 1999's European Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year awards.

1999-2000 season
Beckham in a match against Bristol Rovers F.C.
Beckham in a match against Bristol Rovers F.C.

Despite Beckham's achievements in the 1998-99 season, he was still unpopular among some opposition fans and journalists, and he was criticised after being sent off for a deliberate foul in Manchester United's World Club Championship match against Necaxa. It was suggested in the press that his wife was a bad influence on him, and that it might be in United's interests to sell him,but his manager publicly backed him and he stayed at the club.

The relationship between Ferguson and Beckham began to deteriorate, possibly as a result of Beckham's fame and commitments away from football. In 2000, Beckham was given permission to miss training to look after his son Brooklyn, who had gastroenteritis, but Ferguson was furious when Victoria Beckham was photographed at a London Fashion Week event on the same night, claiming that Beckham would have been able to train if Victoria had looked after Brooklyn that day. He responded by fining Beckham the maximum amount that was permitted (two weeks' wages – then £50,000) and dropping him for a crucial match against United's rivals Leeds United. He later criticised Beckham for this in his autobiography, claiming he hadn't been "fair to his team mates". Beckham had a good season for his club, though, and helped United to win the Premier League by a record margin.

Winning over the England fans

The abuse that Beckham was receiving from English supporters peaked during England's 3–2 defeat by Portugal in Euro 2000, a match where Beckham set up two goals, when a group of England supporters taunted him throughout the match. Beckham responded with a one-fingered gesture and, while the gesture attracted some criticism, many of the newspapers that had previously encouraged his vilification asked their readers to stop abusing him.

On 15 November 2000, following Kevin Keegan's resignation as England manager in October, Beckham was promoted to team captain by the caretaker manager Peter Taylor, and then kept the role under new manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. He helped England to qualify for the 2002 FIFA 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. The rest of the England team were playing relatively poorly, and it was Beckham's inspirational performance that lifted his teammates. When Teddy Sheringham was fouled some eight yards 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. Shortly afterwards, he was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2001. He once again finished runner-up, to Luís Figo of Portugal, for the FIFA World Player of the Year award.

Metatarsal injury

On 10 April 2002, Beckham was injured during a Champions League match against Deportivo La Coruña, breaking the second metatarsal bone in his left foot. There was speculation in the British media that the injury might have been caused deliberately, as the player who had injured Beckham was Argentinian Aldo Duscher, and England and Argentina were due to meet in that year's World Cup The injury prevented Beckham from playing for United for the rest of the season, but he signed a three-year contract in May, following months of negotiations with the club, mostly concerning extra payments for his image rights. The income from his new contract, and his many endorsement deals, made him the highest-paid player in the world at the time.

World Cup 2002 and final season at United

He was partially fit by the time of the 2002 FIFA 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. England were knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Brazil. The following month, at the opening ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, Beckham escorted Kirsty Howard as she presented the Jubilee Baton to the Queen.

Following an injury early in the 2002-03 season, Beckham was unable to regain his place on the Manchester United team, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær having replaced him on the right side of midfield. His relationship with his manager deteriorated further on 15 February 2003 when, in the changing room following a defeat to Arsenal, Sir Alex Ferguson kicked a football boot that struck Beckham over the eye, causing a cut that required stitches. The incident led to a great deal of transfer speculation involving Beckham, with bookmakers offering odds on whether he or Ferguson would be first to leave the club. Although the team had started the season badly, their results improved greatly from December onwards and they won the league. He was still a first-choice player for England, however, and he was awarded an OBE for services to football on 13 June.

During his 11-year stint at United, Beckham made 266 appearances for them and scored 61 goals.

He won 6 Premiership titles, 2 FA Cup's, 1 UEFA Champions League, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FA Youth Cup with his time at United.

Real Madrid era
Beckham (right) and Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid
Beckham (right) and Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid

Manchester United had been keen to sell Beckham to Barcelona but he refused to go there, instead signing a four-year contract with Real Madrid, worth a potential €35 million. The transfer was completed on 1 July and made him the third Englishman to play for the club after Laurie Cunningham and Steve McManaman. It was speculated that Real's desire to sign him came from the merchandising opportunities he would bring as well as from his football ability. For example, Real Madrid shirts bearing his name and number sold out in Madrid on the day his transfer was completed and the club was expected to receive €624,000 for the sale of the shirts. Although Beckham had worn the number seven shirt for Manchester United and England, he was unable to wear it at Madrid as Raúl had the right to wear it written into his contract. He decided to wear number 23 instead, citing his admiration of basketball player Michael Jordan, who also wore the number 23 shirt, as the reason behind his decision.

First season 2003-04

Real Madrid finished the season in fourth place, and were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League at the quarter-final stage. But, Beckham immediately became a favourite with the Real Madrid supporters, scoring five times in his first 16 matches, but the team, whose club president expected them to win either the Spanish league or the Champions League each season, was not performing well. He had further problems in April 2004, when the British tabloid News of the World carried claims by his former personal assistant Rebecca Loos that he and Loos had had an extramarital affair. A week later, the Malaysian-born Australian model Sarah Marbeck claimed that she had slept with Beckham on two occasions. Beckham dismissed both accusations as "ludicrous".

Euro 2004

Beckham played in all of England's matches at Euro 2004, but the tournament was a disappointment for him. He had a penalty saved in England's 2-1 defeat to France and missed another in a penalty shootout in the quarter final against Portugal. England lost the shootout and went out of the competition.

Second season, 2004-05

In July 2004, while Beckham was in pre-season training in Spain, an intruder scaled a wall at the Beckhams' home while carrying a can of petrol. Victoria and their children were in the house at the time, but security guards apprehended the man before he reached the house. Beckham made more headlines on 9 October 2004 when he admitted intentionally fouling Ben Thatcher in an England match against Wales in order to get himself booked. Beckham was due to receive a one-match suspension for his next caution, and had picked up an injury which he knew would keep him out of England's next match, so he deliberately fouled Thatcher in order to serve his suspension in a match that he would have had to miss anyway. The Football Association asked Beckham for an explanation of his actions and he admitted that he had "made a mistake" and apologised.

Beckham became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in January 2005 and was involved in promoting London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Third season, 2005-06

Real Madrid finished second to Barcelona (with a 12 point gap) in the La Liga and only reaching the last sixteen in the Champions League after losing to Arsenal by one goal. Although there is the notable fact that Beckham led La Liga in assists for the season.
Warming up
Warming up

In October 2005, Beckham's sending off against Austria made him the first ever England captain to be sent off and the first (and only) player to be sent off twice while playing for England. He captained England for the 50th time in a friendly international against Argentina the following month. He was sent off again shortly afterwards, this time in a league match for Real Madrid against Valencia CF. Having received a yellow card, he appeared to sarcastically applaud the referee and was given a second yellow card, causing an automatic dismissal, although the suspension was cancelled on appeal two days later. He was sent off for the third time that season on 3 December 2005 in a league match against Getafe.

During the season, Beckham established football academies in Los Angeles and east London and he was named a judge for the 2006 British Book Awards.

Fourth season, 2006-07

Real Madrid won their first Spanish La Liga title in 3 years because of their superior head-to-head record against Barcelona, giving Beckham his first title since he joined Real Madrid. Initially out of favour with manager Fabio Capello, Beckham started only a few games at the beginning of the season, as Jose Antonio Reyes was normally preferred on the right wing. In the first nine matches Beckham started, Real lost seven.
Beckham pictured during his time with Real Madrid
Beckham pictured during his time with Real Madrid

On 10 January 2007, after prolonged contract negotiations, Real Madrid's sporting director Predrag Mijatović announced that Beckham would not remain at Real Madrid after the end of the season. However, he later claimed that he was mistranslated and that he actually said that Beckham's contract had not been renewed yet.

On 11 January 2007 Beckham announced that he had signed a five-year deal to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy beginning 1 July 2007. On 13 January 2007 Fabio Capello said that Beckham had played his last game for Real Madrid, although he would continue to train with the team. Capello back-tracked on that statement and Beckham rejoined the team for their match against Real Sociedad on 10 February 2007 – he scored and Real Madrid won. In his final UEFA Champions League appearance, Real Madrid were knocked out of the competition (by the away goals rule) on 7 March 2007. Beckham had made a total of 103 appearances in the Champions League, the third highest number of any player at the time.

On 17 June 2007, the last day of the La Liga season, Beckham started in his final match for the club, a 3-1 win over Mallorca, which saw them clinch the title from Barcelona. Although both finished level on points, Madrid took the title because of their superior head-to-head record, capping a remarkable six-month turnaround for Beckham.

A month after the conclusion of Beckham's Real career, Forbes magazine reported that he had been the party primarily responsible for the team's huge increase in merchandise sales, a total reported to top $600 million US during Beckham's four years at the club.

World Cup 2006

During the FIFA World Cup 2006, Beckham's performance was criticised by the majority of the press and public.

In England's opening game against Paraguay on 10 June 2006 Beckham's free kick led to an own-goal by Carlos Gamarra, and England won 1-0. In England's next match, played against Trinidad and Tobago on 15 June 2006, Beckham's cross in the 83rd minute led to Peter Crouch's goal which put England ahead 1-0. Beckham gave another assist to Steven Gerrard. In the end they won 2-0. He was named Man-of-the-Match by tournament sponsor Budweiser for this game.

During England's second round match against Ecuador, Beckham scored from a free kick in the 59th minute, becoming the first ever English player to score in three World Cups, and giving England a 1-0 victory and a place in the quarter-finals. He was sick before the game and vomited several times as a result of dehydration and illness after he scored the winning goal.

In the quarter-final against Portugal, Beckham was substituted following an injury shortly after half time and the England team went on to lose the match on penalties (3-1), the score having been 0-0 after extra time. After his substitution, Beckham was visibly shaken and emotional for not being able to play, being in tears at one point.

A day after England were knocked out of the World Cup, an emotional Beckham made a statement in a news conference saying that he had stepped down as England captain, saying, "It has been an honour and privilege to captain my country but, having been captain for 58 of my 95 games, I feel the time is right to pass on the armband as we enter a new era under Steve McClaren". (Beckham had actually won 94 caps up to that point.) He was then succeeded by Chelsea captain John Terry.

Having stepped down as captain after the World Cup, Beckham was dropped completely from the England national team selected by new coach Steve McClaren on 11 August 2006. McClaren claimed that he was "looking to go in a different direction" with the team, and that Beckham "wasn't included within that". McClaren said Beckham could be recalled in future. Shaun Wright-Phillips, Kieran Richardson and the World Cup alternative to Beckham, Aaron Lennon, were all included, although McClaren eventually opted to employ Steven Gerrard in that role.

England recall
Beckham takes a freekick
Beckham takes a freekick

On 26 May 2007, Steve McClaren announced that Beckham would be recalled to the England squad for the first time since stepping down as their captain. Beckham started against Brazil in England's first match at the new Wembley Stadium and put in a positive performance. In the second half he set up England's goal converted by captain John Terry. It looked as though England would claim victory over Brazil, but newcomer Diego equalised in the dying seconds. In England's next match, a Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia, Beckham sent two trademark assists for Michael Owen and Peter Crouch, helping England to prevail 3-0.

Beckham had assisted in three of England's four total goals in those two games,and he stated his desire to continue to play for England after his move to the MLS.

L.A. Galaxy era

It was confirmed on 11 January 2007 that David Beckham would be leaving Real Madrid to join MLS team Los Angeles Galaxy on a 5 year deal worth as much as $250 million that will see Beckham earn up to $10 million a year in direct salary, but with endorsements and profit-sharing, up to $50 million a year. Beckham said, "After considering several options to stay in Madrid or join other major British and European teams, I have decided to join LA Galaxy."

On 12 January, Beckham's official press conference was held in conjunction with the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. Via satellite from Spain, Beckham told reporters "I'm coming there not to be a superstar. I'm coming there to be part of the team, to work hard and to hopefully win things. With me, it's about football. I'm coming there to make a difference. I'm coming there to play football... I'm not saying me coming over to the States is going to make soccer the biggest sport in America. That would be difficult to achieve. Baseball, basketball, American football, they've been around. But I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think I could make a difference."

On 17 June, he played his final match with Real Madrid, and although he limped off the field and was replaced, his sub made two goals and the team won the season's La Liga title, their first since Beckham had signed with them. On 26 June, his first major U.S. ad campaign since finishing with Real Madrid made its debut via the web. "Futbol Meets Football" pairs him with the NFL's Reggie Bush in a 13-part video series, with additional television, radio, and online promotion by adidas planned throughout the summer season.

His new contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy took effect on 1 July and the team announced that he would be officially introduced on 13 July.

The morning of that introduction, the Galaxy announced that over 250,000 new jerseys had already been ordered in the first 48 hours on sale, as the team's new logo and uniform design were unveiled to coincide with Beckham's arrival.

5000 Galaxy season-ticket holders were in attendance at the invitation of the team, and several introductions were made by MLS officials including team President and GM Alexi Lalas and League Commissioner Don Garber. After Beckham himself spoke, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa put on one of the newly-designed jerseys and welcomed him to the city.

Beckham was featured by the U.S. magazine Sports Illustrated for the first time as a Galaxy player and in his new uniform, on the cover of the 16 July 2007 edition, and was also given his own weekly TV series, "David Beckham's Soccer USA" on Fox Soccer Channel.

ESPN produced a 30-second TV promo for Beckham's arrival: "Hello, Goodbye" featuring a Son Volt cover of the Beatles composition of the same name, depicting European fans' farewells and Americans' anticipation. The same network then featured him on the cover of the 30 July issue of ESPN The Magazine.

He attended the MLS All-Star Game on 19 July, and on 21 July, at the Home Depot Center, Beckham made his Galaxy playing debut. ESPN used 19 cameras, more than they had ever used before in match coverage, including one trained only on him.. Beckham came on as a substitute in the 78th minute of the friendly versus Chelsea, a part of the World Series of Football. Chelsea won the sold-out match by a score of 1-0. ESPN later announced that the TV audience for that match was five times the norm for an MLS match on their network, and that it set a new viewing record for MLS on their network. In addition, Nielsen Media Research reported that it was the most watched TV program that night by young adult males across the U.S.

Discipline

Former manager Sir Alex Ferguson said that he "practiced with a discipline to achieve an accuracy that other players wouldn't care about". He maintained his training routine at Real Madrid and even when his relationship with management was strained in early 2007, Ramon Calderon and Fabio Capello praised Beckham for maintaining his professionalism and commitment to the club.

Beckham was the first England player ever to collect two red cards and the first England captain to be sent off. Beckham's most notorious red card was during the 1998 FIFA World Cup: after Argentina's Diego Simeone had fouled him, Beckham lashed out with his leg and the Argentine fell. England went on to lose the game on penalties.

For Real Madrid he amassed 41 yellow cards and 4 red cards.

Beckham has also been described as a "gentleman" when referring to his demeanour on the pitch. During his time as England captain, Beckham helped to keep Wayne Rooney's temper in check on several occasions.