Bio
Full Name: David Robert Joseph Beckham OBE
Date of Birth: 02 May 1975
Birthplace: Leytonstone, London
Nationality: English
Height: 180 cm (5ft 11in)
Weight: 67 kg (10st 8lb)
Eyes: Green
Hair: Brown
Residence: Hertfordshire and Beverly Hills, California
Martial status: Married to Victoria
Current club: LA Galaxy (USA)
Position: Midfield
Squad number: 23
Awards: Officer in the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II (2003); United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador (2005–present)
David Beckham was born on May 2, 1975 in Leytonstone, London to Ted and Sandra Beckham. David’s parents were Manchester United supporters and he accompanied them to many soccer matches.
Beckham signed for Manchester United as a trainee in July 1991 and he was instrumental in helping the club win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992, scoring in the second leg of the final against Crystal Palace.
On September 23, 1992, Beckham made his first team debut as a substitute in the Rumbelows Cup tie at Brighton and Hove Albion.
During the two-and-a-half year wait to make his League debut, he collected a runners-up medal in the 1993 FA Youth Cup (United lost to Leeds in the final) and a reserve team championship medal in 1994. He also played five matches on loan for Preston North End, scoring two goals for the Lancashire club.
Beckham’s English Premier League debut eventually came at home to Leeds United on April 2, 1995. Partially as a result of injuries to key starters, Beckham established himself in the first team during the 1995/96 season.
Beckham played predominantly in the right midfield position that used to be occupied by Andrei Kanchelskis, and started to show the knack for scoring great goals, including the winner in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea. At the end of the season Man United walked away with their second Double.
The springboard that launched Beckham’s famous career came during the 1996/97 season. Beckham was compared to Pele when he scored his most famous goal – from the halfway line against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park. He went on to earn his first senior cap for England, on September 1, 1996 against Moldova in Kishinev.
Beckham’s match-winning performances during 1996/97 helped United to win another Premiership title and reach the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League. On a personal level, he was voted Young Player of the Year and second in the overall Player of the Year poll.
Manchester United’s 1997/98 season was one to forget as they finished second to Arsenal in the League, lost to Barnsley in the FA Cup and were knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals by Monaco. Beckham enjoyed a memorable moment, when he was selected for England’s World Cup Finals squad.
During the 1998 World Cup Finals, Beckham scored a stunning freekick for England against Colombia and was hailed a national hero. He was later branded a villain, however, when he was sent off for a foul on Diego Simeone as England were knocked out in the second round by Argentina. It was the first red card of his career.
The World Cup Finals left Beckham at the bottom of his career. He was a hated man in England and many predicted the end of his football career. He mustered up the courage and resilience to bounce back and prove his critics wrong. In the first League game of the 1998/99 season against Leicester City, he curled in one of his trademark freekicks in stoppage time to prevent defeat.
If England’s 1998 World Cup campaign was the depth of despair for Beckham, then Manchester United’s successful Treble season in 1998/1999 was the height of ecstasy.
The most important match of that season was the UEFA Champions League Finals with Bayern Munich. Manchester’s 2 goals were scored off corner kicks taken by David Beckham in overtime. The goals were scored by substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
England eventually forgave Beckham for his 1998 World Cup sins and readily accepted him as the captain of the national team.
Beckham captained England for the first time in a friendly match in Italy and retained the armband for the friendly with Spain and the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Finland, against whom he scored an important goal at Anfield.
He went on to lead to team to the 2002 World Cup Finals. In the game against Argentina, he scored the only goal – a penalty after Michael Owen was tripped up. Argentina had a premature exit from the tournament after drawing 1-1 with Sweden in their next match. Poetic justice?
The 2002/03 season was not a memorable one for Beckham as he found himself on the bench for some key matches. In a bizarre incident, he was struck on the forehead by a stray boot that was kicked in frustration by Sir Alex Ferguson in the dressing room. Rumors that he and the boss were not on speaking terms fueled the speculation that he would be sold at the end on the season.
He was eventually sold to Spanish giant, Real Madrid, for a reported fee of 25 million Euro.
On 21 July 2007, Beckham made his LA Galaxy debut.
The Loan to Milan
Beckham made his Serie A debut for Milan against Roma on 11th January 2009. On the 2nd of March 2009, the Los Angeles Times reported that Beckham’s loan had been extended until mid-July. It was confirmed, in November 2009, that Beckham would return to Milan for a second loan period beginning in January 2010.
