David Beckham (Soccer Player) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News
David Beckham
Male
Born May 2, 1975
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who currently plays for French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He has played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, Los Angeles Galaxy and the England national team for which he holds the appearance record for an outfield player. Beckham's professional career began with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17.…  Read More
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Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of David Beckham.
CHILDHOOD
1975 Birth Born on May 2, 1975.
TEENAGE
1986 - 1991 4  More Events
1986 11 Years Old Beckham was a Manchester United mascot for a match against West Ham United in 1986. … Read More
Young Beckham had trials with his local club Leyton Orient, Norwich City and attended Tottenham Hotspur's school of excellence. Tottenham Hotspur was the first club he played for. Read Less
1990 15 Years Old During a two-year period in which Beckham played for Brimsdown Rovers' youth team, he was named Under-15 Player of the Year in 1990.
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He also attended Bradenton Preparatory Academy, but signed schoolboy forms at Manchester United on his 14th birthday, and subsequently signed a Youth Training Scheme contract on 8 July 1991.
Having signed for Manchester United as a trainee on 8 July 1991, Beckham was part of a group of young players, including Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes, who were coached by Eric Harrison, and helped the club win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992. … Read More
Known as the 'Class of '92', all six players came through Manchester United ranks together and went on to be teammates for over a decade. Read Less
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Beckham's professional club career began with Manchester United, where he made his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17.
Beckham scored Manchester United's second goal in the 30th minute of their 3â1 first-leg win of the final against Crystal Palace on 14 April 1992. … Read More
In the second leg on 15 May, Beckham played a full 90-minutes of the fixture which ended 3â2 in favour of Manchester United and 6â3 on aggregate. Read Less
Beckham's impact led to a first-team debut on 23 September 1992, as a substitute for Andrei Kanchelskis in a League Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion.
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Shortly afterwards, Beckham signed as a professional on 23 January 1993.
Manchester United would again reach the final of the FA Youth Cup, where they would face Leeds United. The first leg was played on 10 May 1993, where Beckham started in Manchester United's 2â0 home loss but was replaced by substitute Robbie Savage.
In the second leg on 13 May 1993, Beckham played the full 90 minutes of Manchester United's 2â1 defeat, which gave Leeds United a 4â1 aggregate score.
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Beckham would also receive honours with the club's reserve team, when the squad would win the league in 1994.
In September 1994, Beckham went on to gain his first full appearance in the club's first team against Port Vale in a League Cup fixture.
On 7 December 1994, Beckham made his UEFA Champions League debut, scoring a goal in a 4â0 victory at home to Galatasaray in the final game of the group stage. … Read More
Despite the victory, however, they finished third out of four in their group, behind Barcelona. Read Less
Beckham then went to Preston North End on loan for part of the 1994â95 season to get some first team experience. … Read More
He impressed, scoring two goals in five appearances, notably scoring directly from a corner kick. Read Less
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He played four times for United in the league that season, as they finished second behind Blackburn Rovers and missed a third successive Premier League title by a single point. He was not in the squad for the FA Cup final with Everton on 20 May, which they lost 1â0 and were left without a major trophy for the first time since 1989. <br /><br />United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had a great deal of confidence in the club's young players. Beckham was part of a group of young talents Ferguson brought into United in the 1990s (known as "Fergie's Fledglings"), which included Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville. Read Less
When experienced players Paul Ince, Mark Hughes, and Andrei Kanchelskis left the club after the end of the 1994â95 season, his decision to let youth team players replace them instead of buying star players from other clubs (United had been linked with moves for players including Darren Anderton, Marc Overmars and Roberto Baggio, but no major signings were made that summer), drew a great deal of criticism. … Read More
The criticism increased when United started the season with a 3â1 defeat at Aston Villa, with Beckham scoring United's only goal of the game; however, United would recover from this early season defeat and the young players performed well.<br /><br /> Beckham swiftly established himself as United's right-sided midfielder (rather than a right-winger in the style of his predecessor Andrei Kanchelskis) and helped them to win the Premier League title and FA Cup double that season, scoring the winner in the semi-final against Chelsea and also provided the corner that Eric Cantona scored from in the FA Cup Final. Beckham's first title medal had, for a while, looked like it would not be coming that season, as United were still 10 points adrift of leaders Newcastle United at the turn of the new year, but Beckham and his team-mates had overhauled the Tynesiders at the top of the league by mid March and they remained top until the end of the season. Read Less
TWENTIES
1995 20 Years Old Beckham returned to Manchester and finally made his Premier League debut for Manchester United on 2 April 1995, in a goal-less draw against Leeds United.
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Despite playing regularly (and to a consistently high standard) for Manchester United, Beckham did not break into the England squad before Euro 1996. … Read More
The ball seemed to be in the air for hours and it all went quiet. Then the ball went in and it just erupted. I was on cloud nine. Read Less
At the beginning of the 1996â97 season, Beckham was given the number 10 shirt that had most recently been worn by Mark Hughes.
On 17 August 1996 (the first day of the Premier League season), Beckham became something of a household name when he scored a spectacular goal in a match against Wimbledon. … Read More
With United leading 2â0, 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.<br /><br /> When Beckham scored his famous goal, he did so in Adidas Predator shoes custom-made for Charlie Miller ("Charlie" embroidered on boots), which had been given to Beckham by mistake. In a UK poll conducted by Channel 4 in 2002, the British public voted the goal No.18 in the list of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments. Read Less
During the 1996â97 season, Beckham became an automatic first-choice player at Manchester United helping them to retain the Premier League championship, and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year by his peers. … Read More
On 18 May 1997, Eric Cantona retired as a player and left the coveted number 7 shirt free, and with Teddy Sheringham arriving from Tottenham Hotspur as Cantona's successor, Beckham left his number 10 shirt for Sheringham and picked up the iconic number 7 shirt, famously worn by club legends George Best, Bryan Robson and Eric Cantona, and subsequently by Cristiano Ronaldo. Manchester United started the 1997â98 season well but erratic performances in the second half of the season saw United finish second behind Arsenal. Read Less
In international football, Beckham made his England debut on 1 September 1996 at the age of 21. … Read More
He was captain for six years, earning 58 caps during his tenure. Read Less
1997 - 2002 14  More Events
1997 22 Years Old In 1997, Beckham started dating Victoria Adams, after she attended a Manchester United match. … Read More
She was famously known as "Posh Spice" of the pop music group Spice Girls, one of the world's top pop groups at the time, and his team was also enjoying a great run of success. Therefore, their relationship instantly attracted a great deal of media attention. The couple were dubbed "Posh and Becks" by the media. He proposed to her on 24 January 1998 in a restaurant in Cheshunt, England. Read Less
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He made 115 career appearances in total, appearing at three FIFA World Cup tournaments, the 1998, 2002 and 2006 editions and two UEFA European Championship tournaments, the 2000 and 2004 editions. … Read More
One of the most marketable athletes in sport, Beckham has consistently ranked among the highest earners in football, and in 2013 he was listed as the highest-paid player in the world, earning over $50 million in the previous 12 months. He has been married to Victoria Beckham since 1999 and they have four children. He has been a UNICEF UK ambassador since 2005, and in 2015 he launched 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund to help protect children in danger around the world. In February 2014, MLS announced Beckham and a group of investors would own an expansion team in Miami, which would begin in 2016 or 2017.<br /><br /> Beckham was born at Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, London, England. He is the son of Sandra Georgina (nÃ©e West; b. 1949), a hairdresser, and David Edward Alan "Ted" Beckham (b. Edmonton, London, JulyâSeptember 1948), a kitchen fitter, who married at the London Borough of Hackney in 1969. He has an older sister, Lynne Georgina, and a younger sister, Joanne Louise. He regularly played football in Ridgeway Park, Chingford, as a child, and attended Chase Lane Primary School and Chingford County High School. In a 2007 interview, Beckham said that, "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." Read Less
In the 1998â99 season, he was part of the United team that won the treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, a unique feat in English football. … Read More
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 Beckham decided to stay at Manchester United.<br /><br /> To ensure they would win the Premier League title, United needed to win their final league match of the season, at home to Tottenham (with reports suggesting that the opposition would allow themselves to be easily beaten to prevent their deadly local rivals Arsenal from retaining the title), but Tottenham took an early lead in the match. Beckham scored the equaliser with a curling strike from 25 yards out into the top left corner of the goal and United went on to win the match and the league. Read Less
Despite Beckham's achievements in the 1998â99 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. … Read More
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. During the 1999â2000 season, there was a talk of a transfer to Juventus in Italy, but this never happened. Read Less
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With United, he won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. … Read More
He then played four seasons with Real Madrid, winning the La Liga championship in his final season with the club. In July 2007 Beckham signed a five-year contract with Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. While a Galaxy player, he spent two loan spells in Italy with Milan in 2009 and 2010. He was the first British footballer to play 100 UEFA Champions League games. Read Less
Beckham played in central midfield in United's win over Bayern Munich in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final, since United's first string centre-midfielders Paul Scholes and Roy Keane were suspended for the match. … Read More
United were losing the match 1â0 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 crucial assists, 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. Read Less
Beckham helped United retain the Premier League title in 1999â2000 by an 18-point margin â after being pushed by Arsenal and Leeds United for much of the season. … Read More
United won their final 11 league games of the season, with Beckham scoring five goals during this run, with his last goal coming from a swerving shot from the edge of the penalty area in their final home game against Tottenham Hotspur.<br /><br /> By the early 2000s, the relationship between Ferguson and Beckham had begun to deteriorate, possibly as a result of Beckham's fame and commitments away from football. Read Less
On 4 July 1999, David and Victoria married at Luttrellstown Castle in Ireland. … Read More
Beckham's team-mate Gary Neville was the best man, and the couple's infant son, Brooklyn, was the ring bearer. The media were kept away from the ceremony, as the Beckhams had an exclusive deal with OK! Magazine, but newspapers were still able to obtain photographs showing them sitting on golden thrones. 437 staff were employed for the wedding reception, which was estimated to have cost Â£500,000.<br /><br /> David and Victoria Beckham have four children: sons Brooklyn Joseph (born 4 March 1999), Romeo James (born 1 September 2002 in London), and Cruz David (born 20 February 2005 in Madrid; the word "cruz" is Spanish for "cross"); and daughter Harper Seven (born 10 July 2011, in Los Angeles). Elton John is godfather to Brooklyn and Romeo Beckham; their godmother is Elizabeth Hurley. Beckham's three sons have all played football in the Arsenal Academy. Like their father, Brooklyn and Romeo have both done modelling work and been named among GQ's best dressed British men. Beckham's eldest son Brooklyn previously played football for Arsenal U16, but was released at the end of the 2014â15 season. Read Less
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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. … Read More
He responded by fining Beckham the maximum amount that was permitted (two weeks' wages â then Â£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 had not been "fair to his teammates" Beckham had a good season for his club, though, and helped United to win the Premier League by a record margin.<br /><br /> "He was never a problem until he got married. He used to go into work with the academy coaches at night time, he was a fantastic young lad. Getting married into that entertainment scene was a difficult thing â from that moment, his life was never going to be the same. Read Less
He was a key player in United's third successive league title in 2000â01 â only the fourth time that any club had achieved three league titles in a row. … Read More
He scored nine goals that season, all in the Premier League. Read Less
2001 26 Years Old … 
There was speculation in the British media that the injury might have been caused deliberately, as the player who had injured Beckham was Argentine 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 and they missed out on the Premier League title to Arsenal (also being knocked out of the Champions League by Bayer Leverkusen on away goals in the semi-finals), 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. Read Less
Despite the injury, 2001â02 was arguably Beckham's best season as a United player; he scored 11 goals in 28 league games, and a total of 16 goals in 42 games in all competitions, the best of his career.
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On 10 April 2002, Beckham was injured during a Champions League match against Deportivo de La CoruÃ±a, breaking the second metatarsal bone in his left foot.
Following an injury early in the 2002â03 season, Beckham was unable to regain his place on the Manchester United team, with Ole Gunnar SolskjÃ¦r having replaced him on the right side of midfield.
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. … Read More
Beckham played in all of England's matches at Euro 2004. He had a penalty saved in England's 2â1 defeat to France and missed another in a penalty shootout in the quarter-final match against Portugal. England lost the shootout thus going out of the competition.<br /><br /> Beckham became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in January 2005 and was involved in promoting London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. In October 2005, Beckham's sending off against Austria made him the first England captain to be sent off and the first 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.<br /><br /> In England's opening game at the 2006 World Cup, against Paraguay on 10 June 2006, Beckham's free kick led to an own-goal by Carlos Gamarra as England won 1â0. In England's next match, played against Trinidad and Tobago on 15 June 2006, Beckham's cross in the 83rd minute led to a Peter Crouch goal, which put England into the lead 1â0. Beckham gave another assist to Steven Gerrard. In the end they won 2â0. He was named Man of the Match by tournament sponsor Budweiser. Read Less
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His relationship with his manager deteriorated further on 15 February 2003 when, in the changing room following an FA Cup defeat to Arsenal, a furious Alex Ferguson threw or kicked a boot that struck Beckham over the eye, causing a cut that required stitches. … Read More
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, with Beckham managing a total of 11 goals in 52 games in all competitions. Read Less
He was still a first-choice player for England, however, and was appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to football on 13 June 2003. … Read More
Beckham had made 265 Premier league appearances for United and scored 61 goals. He also made 81 Champions league appearances, scoring 15 goals. Beckham won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, one European Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and one FA Youth Cup in the space of 12 years. By this stage, he was their joint second longest serving player behind Ryan Giggs (having joined them at the same time as Nicky Butt, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes).<br /><br /> He is a man of our times and a symbol of modern-day stardom and what is certain is Real have signed Beckham because he's a great footballer and a very dedicated professional. Read Less
As the summer 2003 transfer window approached, Manchester United appeared keen to sell Beckham to Barcelona and the two clubs even announced that they reached a deal for Beckham's transfer, but instead he joined reigning Spanish champions Real Madrid for â¬35 million on a four-year contract. … Read More
Beckham was the latest signing in the GalÃ¡cticos era of global stars signed by club president Florentino PÃ©rez every summer. The news came as a bitter blow to the newly elected Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who based much of his presidential campaign on signing Beckham. Though announced in mid-June, the transfer was completed on 1 July 2003, making him the third Englishman to play for the club after Laurie Cunningham and Steve McManaman. Following a successful medical on 2 July, Beckham was unveiled in front of 500 accredited journalists from 25 countries at Real's basketball facility, where he was handed the famous white shirt by club legend Alfredo Di StÃ©fano. Although Beckham had worn the number seven shirt for Manchester United and England, he was unable to wear it at Madrid as it was currently assigned to club captain RaÃºl. 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. In the week before Beckham's presentation, Real named Carlos Queiroz as their new head coach, meaning that Beckham got reunited with a familiar face upon arriving to Madrid since Queiroz spent the previous season as Alex Ferguson's assistant at Manchester United. Read Less
In late July 2003, the club went on a tour of the Far East as part of the pre-season training, but also to cash in on Beckham's huge marketing appeal in Asia where he enjoyed tremendous following. … Read More
Real's brand recognition in that part of the globe was already well established as the club made financially successful trips to Asia during previous off-seasons; however, the presence of global marketing icon such as Beckham made this particular tour a financial smash for los Merengues.<br /><br /> Shortly after his Real switch, Beckham also ended his relationship with agent Tony Stephens of SFX Europe who had guided him through his career up until this point, including helping to engineer Beckham's move from Manchester to Madrid. Beckham signed on with Simon Fuller and his company 19 Entertainment that already managed the career of Victoria. Beckham also appointed close friend Terry Byrne to be his personal manager. Read Less
In late August 2003, Real Madrid won the Spanish Super Cup over two legs versus RCD Mallorca, with Beckham scoring the final goal in a 3â0 return leg win at home, thus setting the stage for the start of the league season. … Read More
Playing on a star-laden team which included three former FIFA World Player of the Year recipients, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and LuÃ­s Figo, in addition to Roberto Carlos, RaÃºl and Iker Casillas, Beckham did not require much time to settle in, scoring five times in his first 16 matches (including a goal less than three minutes into his La Liga debut). Queiroz mostly favoured the adaptable 5â3â2 formation with two fullbacks MÃ­chel Salgado and Roberto Carlos often joining the attack down the wings, while Beckham played on the right of the three-man midfield alongside Zidane and Figo.<br /><br /> Real Madrid were runners-up in the Copa del Rey, were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League at the quarter-final stage and finished the league season in fourth place, meaning the team, whose president PÃ©rez expected them to win either the Spanish league or the Champions League each season, did not match expectations. Read Less
Had it been Beckham's final match for the Galaxy, it would have been the third time he has won a league championship in his final match for a club, repeating the feat he accomplished with Manchester United in 2003 and Real Madrid in 2007.
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On Saturday afternoon, 21 July, despite still nursing the injured left ankle that he picked up a month earlier during the final match of La Liga's season, Beckham made his Galaxy debut, coming on for Alan Gordon in the 78th minute of a 0â1 friendly loss to Chelsea as part of the World Series of Soccer. With a capacity crowd, along with a long Hollywood celebrity list featuring Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Eva Longoria, Mary-Kate Olsen, Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alicia Silverstone and Drew Carey among others, present at the Home Depot Center, the match was broadcast live on ESPN's main network. However, the proceedings on the field of play completely took a back seat to the Beckham spectacle, and despite the presence of worldwide football stars Andriy Shevchenko, Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and John Terry, the US television cameras were firmly focused on Beckham who spent most of the match on the bench. The match's added time featured a scare for already injured Beckham when he got tackled by Steve Sidwell whose cleats struck Beckham's right foot, sending him airborne before he crumpled hard to the ground. Though the existing injury was not aggravated too much, Beckham's recovery process was set back by about a week. ESPN's presentation of Beckham's debut earned a 1. TV rating, meaning it was seen in an average of 947,000 television homes in the US â a disappointing figure given the national media buzz and two weeks of constant promotion by ESPN. Read Less
For comparison ESPN2's weekly MLS broadcasts on Thursdays drew a consistent .2 rating on virtually no promotion while Freddy Adu's MLS debut televised on ABC back in 2004 earned a 1.3 rating. … Read More
As far as sporting events that were televised that weekend in the United States, Beckham's much publicised debut drew fewer TV viewers than British Open golf tournament, a regular-season national baseball game, and even the Indy Racing League's Honda 200 motor race.<br /><br /> The day after the made-for-TV debut was reserved for the welcoming party for the Beckhams at LA's Museum of Contemporary Art, formally billed as being hosted by Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith though in actuality a CAA-organized event. Attended by many Hollywood A-listers, the lavish bash was big news in the US celebrity tabloid media, including daily entertainment TV magazines such as Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood.<br /><br /> Beckham missed the next four LA Galaxy matches â three in the North American SuperLiga and an MLS game away at Toronto FC though he still made the trip with his teammates, sitting on the bench in street clothes. It was in Toronto on 5 August that the team got its first taste of what life would be like on the road with Beckham on the roster. Due to security concerns, it was the first time the team flew on a charter for a road match, rather than flying commercial (MLS normally forbids charter flights for away matches, claiming they provide competitive advantage, but in this case they made an exception due to the frenzy created around Beckham and resulting security issues). Read Less
In April 2004, the British tabloid News of the World carried claims by Beckham's former personal assistant Rebecca Loos that he and Loos had an extramarital affair. … Read More
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".<br /><br /> In September 2010, Beckham announced that he was making a court application against prostitute Irma Nici and several others over claims in the magazine In Touch that he had sex with her. Although the magazine later accepted that the allegations against Beckham were untrue, his court application was dismissed under US freedom of speech laws.<br /><br /> Beckham's fame extends beyond the pitch; in much of the world his name is "as instantly recognisable as that of multinational companies like Coca-Cola and IBM." Beckham's relationship and marriage to Victoria, who has been famous in her own right as part of the Spice Girls, contributed to his celebrity beyond football.<br /><br /> 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. One example is a line of aftershave and fragrances called David Beckham Instinct. In 2002, Beckham was hailed as the ultimate "metrosexual" by the man who invented the term and has been described as such by numerous other articles since. Read Less
In July 2004, while Beckham was in pre-season training in Spain, an intruder scaled a wall at the Beckham home while carrying a can of petrol. … Read More
Victoria and their children were in the house at the time, but security guards apprehended the man before he reached the house.<br /><br /> The league season began with new head coach JosÃ© Antonio Camacho behind the bench, but he ended up lasting only three matches, handing in his resignation as Real dropped to eighth spot in the La Liga standings. Camacho's assistant Mariano GarcÃ­a RemÃ³n took over on temporary basis as Real leadership scrambled to find a permanent replacement. Read Less
Beckham made more headlines on 9 October 2004 when he admitted intentionally fouling Ben Thatcher in an England match against Wales to get himself booked. … Read More
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 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. He was sent off shortly afterwards, this time in a league match for Real Madrid against Valencia. Having received a yellow card, he was judged to have sarcastically applauded the referee and was given a second yellow card, causing an automatic dismissal, although the suspension was cancelled on appeal.<br /><br /> By Christmas 2004, with the team sitting in second league spot, GarcÃ­a RemÃ³n was gone as Vanderlei Luxemburgo became the new head coach. However, the well-traveled Brazilian failed to inspire the team to the title as Real again finished the season in the runner-up spot. Read Less
THIRTIES
2005 - 2006 4  More Events
2005 30 Years Old On 3 December 2005, Beckham was sent off for the third time that season in a league match against Getafe CF. … Read More
One day later Luxemburgo got the axe and was replaced with Juan RamÃ³n LÃ³pez Caro. By the end of that season, Beckham led La Liga in number of assists. Read Less
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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. Real Madrid finished second to Barcelona in the 2005â06 La Liga, albeit with a large 12-point gap, and reached the last 16 only in the Champions League after losing to Arsenal.
The season also marked the end of an era for the club as PÃ©rez resigned his president post in January 2006 with Vicente Boluda named as replacement on interim basis until the end of the season. The summer 2006 off-season marked a turbulent time as club president elections were held. … Read More
RamÃ³n CalderÃ³n became the new Real president. As expected, none of the club officials that served under the previous president were kept, including head coach LÃ³pez Caro. Initially out of favour with newly arrived head coach Fabio Capello, Beckham started only a few games at the beginning of the season, as the speedier JosÃ© Antonio Reyes was normally preferred on the right wing. In the first nine matches Beckham started, Real lost seven. Read Less
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. … Read More
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.<br /><br /> On 26 May 2007, 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 3â0. 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 Major League Soccer. Read Less
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He is such a big celebrity, football is only a small part."' â Alex Ferguson speaking about Beckham's marriage in 2007.
On 10 January 2007, after prolonged contract negotiations, Real Madrid's sporting director Predrag MijatoviÄ announced that Beckham would not remain at Real Madrid after the end of the season. … Read More
However, he later claimed that he was mistranslated and that he actually said that Beckham's contract had not yet been renewed. Read Less
On 11 January 2007, Beckham announced that he had signed a five-year deal to play for the LA 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. … Read More
A few days later while speaking to the students at Villanueva University Center in Madrid, CalderÃ³n said that Beckham is "going to Hollywood to be half a film star", adding "our technical staff were right not to extend his contract, which has been proved by the fact that no other technical staff in the world wanted him except Los Angeles". Read Less
About a month later, however, Capello backtracked on his earlier statement, allowing Beckham to rejoin the team for the match against Real Sociedad on 10 February 2007. … Read More
The player immediately repaid his head coach's trust by scoring the equalising goal from a 27-yard free kick as Real Madrid eventually recorded a 2â1 victory. Read Less
In his final UEFA Champions League appearance for the club, Real Madrid were knocked out of the competition by Bayern Munich at the round-of-16 stage (on the away goals rule) on 7 March 2007. … Read More
Beckham played a pivotal role in all three Madrid goals in the home game, with Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn describing his performance as "world class". Read Less
On 17 June 2007, the last day of the La Liga season, Beckham started in his final match for the club, a 3â1 win over Mallorca, which saw them clinch the title from Barcelona. … Read More
With Real down 0â1 Beckham limped off the field and was replaced by JosÃ© Antonio Reyes, who scored two goals leading the team to that season's La Liga title, their first since Beckham had signed with them and 30th overall in the club's history. Although Real and BarÃ§a both finished level on points, Madrid took the title because of superior head-to-head record, capping a remarkable six-month turnaround for Beckham. With his wife and children along with celebrity friends Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes watching from a luxury box at the Santiago BernabÃ©u Stadium; it was only Beckham's second piece of silverware since he joined the famous club.<br /><br /> Towards the end of the season, as Beckham was getting back into Capello's good books after successfully fighting his way back into the first team, Real Madrid announced they would try to untie his transfer to LA Galaxy, but were ultimately unsuccessful. Several weeks before Beckham's scheduled arrival to the United States, Real's management contacted LA Galaxy's ownership group about reacquiring the player, but were quickly turned down. Read Less
Beckham's involvement with Major League Soccer (MLS) began while he was still a Real Madrid player when it was confirmed on 11 January 2007 that he would be leaving Madrid in six months to join MLS side LA Galaxy.
The speculation about his new contract in Madrid was thus put to an end and the following day Beckham's official press conference was held in conjunction with the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. … Read More
The announcement made top news all across the globe. Though many worldwide media outlets reported the deal to be worth US$250 million, the astronomical figure was soon revealed to be something of a PR stunt engineered by Beckham's media handlers (British representative agency 19 Entertainment). To maximise the media effect, in the press release they decided to list the potential sum that Beckham could make over the five-year period from all his revenue sources, which in addition to his Galaxy pay also include his personal endorsements. Beckham's actual deal with the Galaxy was a five-year contract worth US$32.5 million in total or $6.5 million per year.<br /><br /> The high-profile acquisition paid immediate financial dividends for Galaxy long before Beckham joined the team. On the strength of the signing and the media frenzy it created, the club was able to pull off a new five-year shirt sponsorship deal with Herbalife nutrition company worth US$20 million. The gate revenue peaked as well with 11,000 new season tickets holders and sold-out luxury suites (each one of the 42 inside the team's home ground, the Home Depot Center). Even the LA Galaxy owners Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) saw an immediate spike in business. Involved on many business fronts worldwide, AEG was already leveraging its Beckham association in places such as China, where the company had been working aggressively in Shanghai and Beijing for years to receive clearance to build arenas and stadiums. Read Less
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The company's CEO Tim Leiweke put it as follows: "Suddenly, we're known as the company that owns the team that David Beckham is going to play for, so our world changed". <br /><br />In the months following the announcement, the additional terms of Beckham's contract became public knowledge. One unique contract provision was giving him the option of buying an MLS expansion franchise in any market except New York City at the fixed price of $25 million whenever he stopped playing in the league â an allowance that the league's owners had never given to a player before. Another provision was the opt-out clause after the 2009 season, meaning that should he decide so, Beckham was free to leave the club after completing year three of his five-year contract. Read Less
In April 2007, he and wife Victoria bought an $18.2 million home on San Ysidro Drive in Beverly Hills. … Read More
Beckham's contract with LA Galaxy took effect on 11 July, and on 13 July, the famous Englishman was officially unveiled as a Galaxy player at the Home Depot Center to much fanfare and world media interest in front of more than 5,000 gathered fans and some 700 accredited media members. Beckham chose to wear number 23. It was announced that Galaxy jersey sales had already reached a record figure of over 250,000 prior to this formal introduction.<br /><br /> In parallel, Beckham's handlers at 19 Entertainment succeeded in putting together an unprecedented US media rollout designed to expand his carefully crafted personal brand in America. He made the cover of Sports Illustrated, a few weeks earlier Adidas launched the extensive 13-part ad campaign "FÃºtbol meets Football" starring Beckham and NFL running back Reggie Bush, and W magazine published a racy photo spread featuring David and wife Victoria photographed by Steven Klein. Meanwhile, ESPN sports network was running "Hello, Goodbye" promotional campaign and it also agreed to air David Beckham: New Beginnings documentary produced by 19 Entertainment and directed by Gary Brooks before the friendly match versus Chelsea, which was expected to be Beckham's American debut. In addition to popularising soccer, Beckham's arrival was used as platform for entertainment industry endeavours. Since both Beckham's and his wife's often overlapping careers were handled by 19 Entertainment, which is owned by Simon Fuller, who in turn has a business relationship with the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), one of Hollywood's most powerful talent agencies, it was important also for CAA that the Beckhams made as big a splash as possible upon their arrival in the United States. Read Less
Beckham maintained his training routine at Real Madrid and even when his relationship with management was strained in early 2007, Real Madrid president RamÃ³n CalderÃ³n and manager Fabio Capello praised Beckham for maintaining his professionalism and commitment to the club. … Read More
Beckham's Real Madrid teammate Roberto Carlos regarded Beckham to be the best free-kick exponent he had ever seen. Two of the best free kick exponents of their generation, Roberto Carlos commented on the dilemma the team faced when they won a free kick on the edge of the penalty area: "I would stand on one side and Beckham on the other but I wanted to see Beckham take the free-kick because it's beautiful how he hits the ball." Read Less
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Beckham trained with Arsenal from 4 January 2008 for three weeks until he returned to the Galaxy for pre-season training. … Read More
Beckham scored his first league goal with the Galaxy on 3 April against the San Jose Earthquakes in the ninth minute. On 24 May 2008, the Galaxy defeated the Kansas City Wizards 3â1, giving the Galaxy their first winning record in two years and moving the club into first place in the Western Conference. In the match, Beckham scored an empty-net goal from 70 yards out. The goal marked the second time in Beckham's career that he had scored from his own half, the other being a 1996-goal from the half-way line against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park. Overall, however, the Galaxy had a disappointing year, failing to qualify for the end-of-season play-offs. Read Less
In 2008, Beckham's success in the England national team under Fabio Capello led to speculation that he might return to Europe to retain match fitness for the World Cup qualifying matches in 2009.
On 30 October 2008, Milan announced that Beckham was to join them on loan from 7 January 2009. … Read More
Despite this and other speculation, Beckham made it clear that the move in no way signalled his intent to leave MLS and announced his intent to return to the Galaxy in time for the start of the 2009 season in March. Many at Milan both within and outside of the club expressed serious reservations about the transfer, with it considered by some players no more than a marketing move. Read Less
Beckham was unveiled at Milan's training facility by the club's chief executive Adriano Galliani on 20 December 2008. … Read More
The player chose the number 32 shirt previously worn by Christian Vieri, as both the number 7 and 23 shirts were already used by Alexandre Pato and club captain Massimo Ambrosini, respectively. After his physical, Beckham was reportedly told by a club doctor that he believed he could continue playing football for another five years, up to the age of 38. The day after his unveiling, Beckham was brought to San Siro where he got introduced to home fans by walking out on the pitch before the league match versus Udinese and proclaiming "Forza Milan" over the public address system. Afterwards, he and wife Victoria watched from a luxury box as Milan won 5â1.<br /><br /> His vision of play is better now than during his time in Manchester. He is slower but much stronger tactically and technically.<br /><br /> Playing on the squad led by the 26-year-old superstar KakÃ¡ in addition to several other world-class players at or near the peak of their careers â 28-year-old Ronaldinho, and 29-year-old Andrea Pirlo â as well as club veterans Paolo Maldini, Clarence Seedorf, Massimo Ambrosini, Giuseppe Favalli, Gianluca Zambrotta, Filippo Inzaghi and Andriy Shevchenko, Beckham made his competitive debut for the rossoneri in Serie A as a starter away at Roma on 11 January 2009, playing 89 minutes of the 2â2 draw in front of 53,444 at the Stadio Olimpico. Playing his first competitive match in almost three months, Beckham gave a decent performance in right midfield alongside Pirlo. Read Less
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A noticeably older team, Ancelotti-coached Milan was proving a good fit for the 33-year-old Englishman. He scored his first goal in Serie A for Milan in a 4â1 victory over Bologna on 25 January, his third appearance for the club. Though Beckham was expected to return to Los Angeles in March, after impressing at the Italian club, scoring two goals in his first four matches and assisting on several more, rumours began to swirl that Beckham would stay in Milan, with the Italian club reportedly offering to pay a multimillion-dollar fee for him. The rumours were confirmed on 4 February, when Beckham stated that he was seeking a permanent transfer to Milan in a bid to sustain his England career through the 2010 World Cup. Milan, however, failed to match Galaxy's valuation of Beckham, in the US$10â15 million range. <br /><br />Still, negotiations continued during a month of speculation. On 2 March, the Los Angeles Times reported that Beckham's loan had been extended through mid-July. Read Less
This was later confirmed by Beckham, revealing what was described as a unique "timeshare" deal, in which Beckham would play with L.A. from mid-July till the end of the 2009 MLS season. … Read More
After his return from Milan, many LA fans showed dislike and anger towards him as he missed the first half of the season and several held up signs saying "Go home fraud", and "Part-time player". The Galaxy, however, had a much more successful season than in previous years, rising from third to first in the Western Conference during Beckham's time with them. Read Less
He remained a key part of the squad which saw Galaxy win the 2009 Western Conference final after a 2â0 overtime victory over the Houston Dynamo. … Read More
In the final on 22 November 2009, the Galaxy lost to Real Salt Lake by 5â4 in a penalty shoot-out after a 1â1 draw. Beckham also scored in the shootout. Read Less
In November 2009, after the end of 2009 MLS season, it was confirmed that Beckham would return to Milan for a second loan period beginning in January 2010.
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On 6 January 2010, Beckham made a winning return in a Milan shirt, playing 75 minutes of a 5â2 victory over Genoa.
On 16 February 2010, Beckham played against Manchester United for the first time since he left the club in 2003. … Read More
He played 76 minutes of the match at the San Siro â which ended 3â2 to Manchester United â before being substituted for Clarence Seedorf. Read Less
Beckham returned to Old Trafford for the second leg of the tie on 10 March 2010; he did not start the match, but was brought on for Ignazio Abate in the 64th minute to a positive reception from the Manchester United fans. … Read More
The score was 3â0 for United at that point and the tie was all but decided. The match was the first time Beckham had played against Manchester United at Old Trafford and saw him create several scoring opportunities via crosses and corner kicks, but Manchester United dominated Milan and beat them 4â0, winning the tie 7â2. Following the final whistle, he aroused a bit of controversy by draping the green-and-gold scarf around his neck that was given to him by the Manchester United supporters protesting against club owner Malcolm Glazer. As the fan protests against Glazer by the people gathered around Manchester United Supporters' Trust gained steam in 2010, the green-and-gold scarf had come to be seen as an anti-Glazer symbol, and by extension many saw Beckham's decision to publicly put it on as gesture of support. When asked about it later, however, Beckham responded that protests are not his business. Read Less
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In Milan's next game, against Chievo, Beckham suffered a torn left Achilles tendon, causing him to miss the World Cup as well as the MLS season due to the injury, which took him out of action for the next five months. Read Less
Doctor Sakari Orava performed surgery on Beckham's tendon in Turku, Finland, on 15 March 2010. … Read More
After the operation, Orava affirmed that, "it went quite fine. The prognosis is he needs a rehabilitation for the next few months, and the plaster cast is the next six to eight weeks. I would say that will be maybe four months before he's running, but six months before he's jumping and kicking." Read Less
On 11 September 2010, after recovering from his Achilles tendon injury, Beckham returned to the game as a substitute in the 70th minute in the Galaxy's 3â1 win over Columbus Crew.
On 4 October, Beckham scored a trademark free kick in a 2â1 win over Chivas USA to mark his first goal in 2010. … Read More
On 24 October, Beckham scored his second goal of the season in the Galaxy's 2â1 win over FC Dallas which secured them their second successive Western Conference title and first MLS Supporters' Shield since 2002. Read Less
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During January and February 2011, ahead of the 2011 MLS season, Beckham trained with Tottenham Hotspur. … Read More
Rumours in the media claimed that the club were in talks with the Galaxy to sign the player on loan, but, according to Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, the move was blocked by Galaxy, who wanted a full final season from their number 23. As a result, he ended up only training with the club as he had done with Arsenal three years earlier. Read Less
With Beckham playing in the centre of midfield, the Galaxy won the 2011 MLS cup. … Read More
On 15 May, Beckham scored his first goal of the season for the Galaxy from a 30-yard free kick, in a 4â1 victory over Sporting Kansas City. On 9 July, Beckham scored directly from a corner in a 2â1 win over Chicago Fire, repeating a feat he also achieved while playing for Preston North End. Read Less
After having his best season with the Galaxy to date and finishing second in the league in assists, Beckham finished his fifth MLS season on a high. 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 against the Houston Dynamo, winning 1â0 on a goal by captain Landon Donovan, with assists from Beckham and fellow designated player Robbie Keane.
Following the 2011 season, in which the Galaxy won their second consecutive Supporters' Shield, having the second most points in MLS history, Beckham's five-year contract with the Galaxy expired on 31 December 2011. … Read More
Despite being 36, he stated that he did not intend to retire. Read Less
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Beckham was heavily linked with Paris Saint-Germain, but on 18 January 2012, Galaxy announced Beckham had signed a new two-year contract to remain in Los Angeles.
In May 2012, Beckham and his victorious teammates were received by President of the United States Barack Obama at the White House.
Beckham helped the Galaxy to a fourth-place finish in the MLS Western Conference 2012 regular season with Beckham scoring seven goals and adding nine assists. … Read More
The Galaxy defeated Vancouver Whitecaps FC, the San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC and then 3â1 over the Houston Dynamo to retain the MLS Cup. He was subbed off in the 89th minute for Marcelo Sarvas and was given a standing ovation at their home venue. Read Less
Beckham had earlier announced that the 2012 MLS Cup Final would be his final game with the Galaxy despite having another year remaining on his contract.