"At school whenever the teachers asked, 'What do you want to do when you're older?' I'd say, 'I want to be a footballer.' And they'd say, 'No, what do you really want to do, for a job?' But that was the only thing I ever wanted to do."
Beckham's fame extends beyond the pitch. Beckham became known as a fashion icon, and together with Victoria, the couple became lucrative spokespeople sought after by clothing designers, health and fitness specialists, fashion magazines, perfume and cosmetics manufacturers, hair stylists, exercise promoters, and spa and recreation companies. Upon their arrival in Los Angeles on 12 July 2007, the night before Beckham's formal introduction, Los Angeles International Airport was filled with paparazzi and news reporters. Beckham's many endorsement deals make him one of the most recognisable athletes throughout the world. Beckham has at least 20 tattoos adorning his body.
David Robert Joseph Beckham was born in Leytonstone, London, England. He is the son of Sandra Georgina, a hairdresser, and David Edward Alan "Ted" Beckham, a kitchen fitter. He regularly played football in Ridgeway Park, Chingford, as a child, and attended Chase Lane Primary School and Chingford Foundation School. His parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters who would frequently travel to Old Trafford from London to attend the team's home matches. David inherited his parents' love of Manchester United. 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. Beckham was a Manchester United mascot for a match against West Ham United in 1986.
Beckham's professional career began with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. With United, Beckham won the Premier League 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, winning the La Liga championship in his final season with the club. In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid for the Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy, signing a five-year contract on 1 July 2007. While a Galaxy player, he spent two loan spells in Italy with AC Milan in 2009 and 2010. On 20 November 2011, he joined an elite group of players to have won three league titles in three different countries, when Los Angeles won their third MLS Cup.
Beckham made his first appearance for the England national football team on 1 September 1996, in a World Cup qualifying match against Moldova. Beckham had played in all of England's qualifying matches for the 1998 World Cup and was part of the England squad at the World Cup finals in France. 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. He received a red card in England's match against Argentina. Beckham, after having been fouled by Diego Simeone, kicked Simeone while lying on the floor, striking him on the calf muscle. Many supporters and journalists blamed him for England's elimination. Beckham also received death threats after the World Cup.
Beckham was promoted to team captain. 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. Shortly afterwards, he was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2001. Beckham became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in January 2005 and was involved in promoting London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. At the 2006 World Cup, 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." Having stepped down as captain after the World Cup, Beckham was dropped completely from the England national team. In May 2007, Beckham was recalled to the England squad for the first time since stepping down as their captain. During the 2010 World Cup Qualifier against Belarus, Beckham earned his 107th cap making him England's 3rd highest capped player in history.
He is married to Victoria Beckham and they have four children—Brooklyn Joseph, Romeo James, Cruz David, and Harper Seven. In 1997, Beckham started dating Victoria Adams, after she attended a Manchester United match. She was famously known as "Posh Spice" of the pop music group Spice Girls. The couple were dubbed "Posh and Becks" by the media. In 1999, David and Victoria married in Ireland. 437 staff were employed for the wedding reception, which was estimated to have cost £500,000. In 1999, David and Victoria Beckham purchased their most famous home in Hertfordshire, unofficially dubbed Beckingham Palace, estimated to be worth £7.5 million. In April 2007, the family purchased their current main residence, an Italian villa in Beverly Hills. The mansion is priced at $22 million.
There have been affair claims by Beckham's former personal assistant Rebecca Loos that he and Loos had an extramarital affair. Also the Malaysian-born Australian model Sarah Marbeck claimed that she had slept with Beckham on two occasions.
Beckham has supported UNICEF since his days at Manchester United and in January 2005, the English national team captain became a Goodwill Ambassador with a special focus on UNICEF's Sports for Development program. In January 2007, Rebecca Johnstone, a 19-year-old cancer patient from Canada, received a surprise phone call from Beckham. After the conversation, he sent her a Real Madrid jersey with his signature on it.
David Robert Joseph Beckham was born in Leytonstone, London, England. He is the son of Sandra Georgina, a hairdresser, and David Edward Alan "Ted" Beckham, a kitchen fitter. He regularly played football in Ridgeway Park, Chingford, as a child, and attended Chase Lane Primary School and Chingford Foundation School. His parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters who would frequently travel to Old Trafford from London to attend the team's home matches. David inherited his parents' love of Manchester United. 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. Beckham was a Manchester United mascot for a match against West Ham United in 1986.
Beckham's professional career began with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. With United, Beckham won the Premier League 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, winning the La Liga championship in his final season with the club. In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid for the Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy, signing a five-year contract on 1 July 2007. While a Galaxy player, he spent two loan spells in Italy with AC Milan in 2009 and 2010. On 20 November 2011, he joined an elite group of players to have won three league titles in three different countries, when Los Angeles won their third MLS Cup.
Beckham made his first appearance for the England national football team on 1 September 1996, in a World Cup qualifying match against Moldova. Beckham had played in all of England's qualifying matches for the 1998 World Cup and was part of the England squad at the World Cup finals in France. 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. He received a red card in England's match against Argentina. Beckham, after having been fouled by Diego Simeone, kicked Simeone while lying on the floor, striking him on the calf muscle. Many supporters and journalists blamed him for England's elimination. Beckham also received death threats after the World Cup.
Beckham was promoted to team captain. 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. Shortly afterwards, he was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2001. Beckham became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in January 2005 and was involved in promoting London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. At the 2006 World Cup, 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." Having stepped down as captain after the World Cup, Beckham was dropped completely from the England national team. In May 2007, Beckham was recalled to the England squad for the first time since stepping down as their captain. During the 2010 World Cup Qualifier against Belarus, Beckham earned his 107th cap making him England's 3rd highest capped player in history.
He is married to Victoria Beckham and they have four children—Brooklyn Joseph, Romeo James, Cruz David, and Harper Seven. In 1997, Beckham started dating Victoria Adams, after she attended a Manchester United match. She was famously known as "Posh Spice" of the pop music group Spice Girls. The couple were dubbed "Posh and Becks" by the media. In 1999, David and Victoria married in Ireland. 437 staff were employed for the wedding reception, which was estimated to have cost £500,000. In 1999, David and Victoria Beckham purchased their most famous home in Hertfordshire, unofficially dubbed Beckingham Palace, estimated to be worth £7.5 million. In April 2007, the family purchased their current main residence, an Italian villa in Beverly Hills. The mansion is priced at $22 million.
There have been affair claims by Beckham's former personal assistant Rebecca Loos that he and Loos had an extramarital affair. Also the Malaysian-born Australian model Sarah Marbeck claimed that she had slept with Beckham on two occasions.
Beckham has supported UNICEF since his days at Manchester United and in January 2005, the English national team captain became a Goodwill Ambassador with a special focus on UNICEF's Sports for Development program. In January 2007, Rebecca Johnstone, a 19-year-old cancer patient from Canada, received a surprise phone call from Beckham. After the conversation, he sent her a Real Madrid jersey with his signature on it.
Honours and Records
Orders and special awards
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II: 2003
- England Player of the Year: 2003
- United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador (2005–present)
- "Britain's Greatest Ambassador" – 100 Greatest Britons awards
- The Celebrity 100, number 15 – Forbes, 2007
- Number 1 on the list of the 40 most influential men under the age of 40 in the UK – Arena, 2007
- Time 100: 2008
- Gold Blue Peter Badge winner, 2001
- Do Something Athlete Award, 2011
- Second Englishman after Trevor Francis to win league titles in 3 different countries (England, Spain, USA)
- First England player to score at three World Cups
- First British footballer to play 100 Champions League games
- Has the joint-second most goal assists in European Championship finals history
Trivia
- Beckham suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), which he says makes him "have everything in a straight line or everything has to be in pairs." Victoria Beckham claims, "If you open our fridge, it's all co-ordinated down either side. We've got three fridges - food in one, salad in another and drinks in the third. In the drinks one, everything is symmetrical. If there's three cans, he'll throw one away because it has to be an even number."
- He wears a new pair of football boots for every game he plays at an estimated cost of £300 a pair.
- His legs are insured for $70 million.
Reference: Wikipedia; IMDb
Photo Courtesy: Google Images
Photo Courtesy: Google Images