David Beckham

Birthday:

1975/05/02

Full name:

David Beckham

Place of Birth:

Leytonstone, London, UK

Height:

183cm

Weight:

73kg

Position:

Right/Center Midfielder

Nickname(s):

Becks

Wife / girlfriend:

Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham

Lives in:

Beverly Hills, California

Club information

Current club:

L.A. Galaxy (2007- )

Previous clubs:

Real Madrid (2003-2007)
Manchester United(1993-2003)
Preston North End – Loan (1995)

National team:

England

Youth clubs:

Manchester United(1991-1993)

Facts & Background

About David Beckham

David Beckham is a worldwide icon, who as a footballer is a legend for England, Manchester United and the Premiership as a whole. Taken to Manchester as a lad from London, Beckham was part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous “Golden Generation”, along with Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, and Gary and Phil Neville. Beckham made his mark as a right-sided midfielder, and is known for being one of the most exceptional strikers of the ball in the game, something he has worked very hard on. As a result, his ability with crosses, corners, free-kicks and long passes is fantastic.

Beckham's Background

David Beckham was born in London, but great up with a love of Man United that he had inherited from his parents, both fanatical supporters of the Red Devils. Although living in London, he was involved with the club, participating in training camps, soccer schools, and as a mascot. In 1991 after playing for various amateur and schools’ teams, he signed schoolboy forms with Manchester United, and officially started his career there. He enjoyed great success there, winning numerous leagues and cups, and the prestigious “Treble” in 1999. He moved on to Real Madrid in 2003, winning the league in 2007 before leaving for the MLS, where he signed with LA Galaxy.Beckham is an England international legend, but he became something of a hate figure early on in his international career when he was sent off in the World Cup against Argentina. England lost the match, and Beckham was blamed for the defeat. Beckham however just kept working hard, and over the years became an icon for his country, single handedly dragging them into the World Cup in 2002. He currently has 99 caps for England.

Club Football

Manchester United

David Beckham when he was a kid at ManU

He made his professional Manchester United debut at 17, and rose to prominence when scoring a glorious goal from just in front of the halfway-line against Wimbledon in 1996. What followed was a gloriously successful career, where he won the Premiership title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the Champions League in 1999.

Image:Beckham manchester united.jpg

Success playing for ManU

However, after his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson deteriorated (when the latter kicked a boot into his forehead), Beckham sought more glamour, and moved to Real Madrid in 2003.

Preston North End

Beckham was sent on loan to Preston North End for part of the 1994-95 season to get some first team experience. PNE was positive for a young Beckham, and he got to play alongside characters like current Everton managed David Moyes.

Real Madrid

Beckham’s time with Los Merengues was less successful. He failed to win anything significant at Real Madrid after arriving at the club, although he was able to play alongside some of the world’s greatest players – Zidane, Ronaldo and Figo. However in his last season at the club, with the arrival of former Manchester United teammate Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Italian Coach Fabio Capello, Beckham fought his way back into the side to inspire Real to the title.

Not a lot of Glory with "Los Galacticos"

It was a fitting farewell to his career in Spain, and as his contract was up at the end of the season, he had already made a decision to sign for LA Galaxy in the MLS.

LA Galaxy

Beckham officially joined the Los Angeles Galaxy mid-season, since the Major League Soccer (MLS) season starts towards the end of the European season. He had just come off a grueling title-charge in Madrid, and his injuries and poor fitness restricted him to just two starts.

Sold out Stadiums to see Beckham with the L.A. Galaxy

However, his arrival did have an impact. Every away game that the Galaxy played between his arrival and the end of the season was sold out, and attendances soared. A fit Beckham is expected to spearhead the Galaxy’s title challenge this term, after their poor showing last year.

England Football Team

Beckham earned his first England cap on September 1, 1996. This was the season where he became an automatic choice for Manchester United, and he soon became an England regular as well. At the time of writing, he has amassed 99 caps for his country, and is working hard to earn his 100th under new coach Fabio Capello.

Beckham first came to prominence in 1997, playing in all of England’s World Cup 98 qualifying matches, and then scoring his first goal for England at the World Cup, with a typical long range free-kick in a 2-0 win over Colombia. However, this was the same tournament in which he was vilified by his national media after getting sent off in the round of 16 tie against Argentina. He was provoked by Diego Simeone, and responded by kick out. England lost on penalties, and Beckham was blamed for their exit.

National Team Captain in action - World Cup 2006

However Beckham continued to play well for England, and in 2000 was appointed as captain under caretaker manager Peter Taylor, and retained the armband when Sven-Goran Eriksson was appointed. Beckham was part of several inspirational campaigns under the Swede, and will be widely remember for his last minute free kick, following an inspirational performance, against Greece that gave England a 2-2 draw, and qualification for the World Cup.

Despite England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008, Beckham’s status as a national hero has remained unaffected. He is expected to earn more caps as long as he can stay fit and play regularly for the LA Galaxy, although his international engagements are expected to interfere significantly with his club fixtures due to the travel times involved. Remarkably, England have not lost a game in which Beckham has scored.

International Goals

Date	Team	Competition	Goals Scored
25/06/06	Ecuador	World Cup 2006	[Video]
30/03/05	Azerbaijan	World Cup 2006 Qualifiers
09/10/04	Wales	World Cup 2006 Qualifiers	[Video]
18/08/04	Ukraine	Friendly
06/09/03	Macedonia	Euro 2004 Qualifiers
20/08/03	Croatia	Friendly
02/04/03	Turkey	Euro 2004 Qualifiers	[Video]
29/03/03	Liechtenstein	Euro 2004 Qualifiers
16/10/02	Macedonia	Euro 2004 Qualifiers	[Video]
12/10/02	Slovakia	Euro 2004 Qualifiers
07/06/02	Argentina	World Cup 2002	[Video]
10/11/01	Sweden	Friendly
06/10/01	Greece	World Cup 2002 Qualifiers	[Video]
06/06/01	Greece	World Cup 2002 Qualifiers
25/05/01	Mexico	Fiendly	[Video]
24/03/01	Finland	World Cup 2002 Qualifiers
26/06/98	Colombia	World Cup 1998
		TOTAL	17

Awards and Honours

Manchester United (1993–2003)

Premier League - Champion (6): 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03
Premier League - Runner Up: 1994–95, 1997–98
FA Cup Winner (2): 1996, 1999
FA Cup Runner Up: 1995
UEFA Champions League Winner: 1998–99
Intercontinental Cup: 1999
UEFA Super Cup Runner Up: 1999
Community Shield Winner (4): 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997
Community Shield Runner Up: 1998, 2000, 2001
FA Youth Cup Winner: 1992

Real Madrid (2003–2007)

Primera División Champion (1): 2006–2007
Supercopa de España (1): 2003

LA Galaxy (2007–present)

SuperLiga Finalist: 2007

Personal Awards

Previous Winner	Award	Year	Successor
Robbie Fowler	PFA Young Player of the Year	1997	Michael Owen
	1998 FIFA World Cup Best XI	1998
Ronaldo	UEFA Club Footballer of the year	1999	Fernando Redondo
Steve Redgrave	BBC Sports Personality of the Year	2001	Paula Radcliffe

Career Statistics

Team	Season	Domestic League			Domestic Cups			International			Total
Team	Season	M	G	A	M	G	A	M	G	A	M	G	A
Man. United	1994-1995	4	0		0	0		0	0		4	0
	1995-1996	33	7		1	0		0	0		34	7
	1996-1997	36	7		2	1		10	1		48	9
	1997-1998	37	9		4	2		8	0		49	11
	1998-1999	35	6		7	1		12	2		54	9
	1999-2000	31	6		0	0		12	2		43	8
	2000-2001	31	9		1	0		12	0		44	9
	2001-2002	28	11		1	0		13	5		42	16
	2002-2003	31	6		7	1		12	3		50	10
	Total	262	61		23	5		79	13		364	79
Preston N.End	2002-2003	5	2								5	2
Preston N.End	Total	5	2								5	2
Real Madrid	2003-2004	32	3					7	1		39	4
	2004-2005	31	4					6	0		37	4
	2005-2006	31	3					7	1		38	4
	2006-2007	23	3					6	0		29	3
	Total	117	13					26	2		143	15
Real Madrid	2007	6	0								6	0
	2008
	Total	6	0								6	0
CAREER TOTALS	1994-2008	385	74					105	15		513	94

M = Matches, G = Goals, A = Assists

David's Personal Life

David Beckham currently lives in Beverly Hills, California along with his wife, ex-Spice Girl Victoria Beckham (a.k.a. Posh Spice), and his two sons Romeo and Brooklyn.

The Becks

The Beckhams are very close friends with Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and the fours of them are often seen at various celebrity events together. Apart from his celebrity and football commitments, Beckham has opened grassroots football programmes around the world, called “David Beckham Soccer Schools”. At present there is one in Los Angeles, and one in Rio de Janeiro. Beckham is very into fashion and clothes, and has a soft spot for tattoos (he has 12 of them).

Becks is also keen to do his bit for charity. He has been a UNICEF supporter since his Manchester United days, and is a Goodwill Ambassador for them now. He is a spokesperson for “Malaria No More”, and has been a public advocate for the various MLS-related charities.

Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham: Not your typical soccer mom

David and Victoria Beckham have been married since 1999, and started dating in 1997. They had a grand wedding reception at a castle in Ireland which cost half a million pounds, and afterwards spent $15 million on a palatial home on the edge of London that came to be known as “Beckingham Palace”. Victoria’s career has gone on various tangents since the demise of the Spice Girls – she has released solo albums, modelled, designed her own range of clothes and fashions, and since the Beckhams’ arrival in LA has looked into various TV and film opportunities.