David Beckham Biography

Also known as Becks, Golden Balls, and sometimes Spiceman, David Beckham began his soccer training at the age of fourteen and has never looked back. His impressive career has seen him breaking records to become one of Britain’s most well-known football players, and is considered by many to be the best in the nation. Off the field, he is a happily married father of three.

David Beckham was born on May 2, 1975, in Leytonstone, England. Growing up, David’s parents were avid football fans and Beckham soon inherited their enthusiasm for the sport. At the young age of fourteen, he was signed by the successful football club Manchester United to attend their youth training program. Because of his amazing performance, he soon received a contract from Manchester and began his professional career at the age of seventeen. In his 1996 season, he was praised for his impressive showing and was named by the Professional Footballers Association as Young Player of the Year. Beckham’s remaining years with Manchester United can be described as turbulent.

Fans seemed to have a love-hate relationship with Beckham, tending to overlook his achievements and to abuse him harshly for any errors. By 2001, however, fans would come to love Beckham and recognize his talent when he was promoted to team captain and scored a crucial goal in a World Cup qualifying match against Greece. That year he won the award for Sports Personality of the Year and finished runner-up as the World Player of the Year. His final contract with Manchester United, along with his endorsement deals, made him the highest paid player in the world at the time.

The year 2004 saw Beckham leaving Manchester to sign on with Real Madrid. He donned the number 23 and was an instant favorite. Unfortunately, his first season with his new team would prove to be a disappointment when the team finished in fourth place. His remaining seasons with Real Madrid would be impressive, although they would have their controversial moments, including Beckham being sent off the field several times for intentional fouling and scuffles with referees. After his team was knocked out of the World Cup in 2006, Beckham stepped down as English captain, passing it on to Steve McClaren.

For all his ups and down, Beckham’s career can still best be described as amazing. He has appeared 100 times in the UEFA Championships League, an achievement only three other players can claim. He also has the distinction of being the only Englishmen to score in three different World Cups.

As well as appearing in three World Cups and the UEFA Championships League, Beckham has also appeared in several Pepsi advertisements. One of Beckham's Pepsi commercials is a spoof of the famous Coca-Cola commercial featuring Mean Joe Greene. Another features him with Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Lopez.

Beckham’s other love is his wife Victoria Adams, better known as Posh Spice from the once-popular group The Spice Girls. Before their marriage in 1999, the couple had a son named Brooklyn whose godfather is singer Elton John. They have since had two more sons: Romeo James, born in 1999 and Cruz David, born in 2005. Their marriage has attracted media attention and not all of it has been positive.

Several women including Rebecca Loos, Beckham’s former personal assistant, and Sarah Marbeck, an Australian model, have accused Beckham of having affairs with them. The couple has completely dismissed these rumors and continue to enjoy a happy and stable union.

In 2007, it was announced that Beckham would be coming to the United States to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team. Beckham’s five year contract was for $250 million, made him the highest paid team athlete in the U.S.

With little success on the pitch and planty of injuries off the pitch Beckham's reputation began to wane after just two seasons leaving him to speculate about his future in the 'beautiful game'. With a winter season offer coming his way in late 2008 to sign with AC Milan, David was granted a temporary release from his contract with LA Galaxy and took his skills back to Europe. Having been dropped by the England manager, Beckham's future in the 2010 World Cup tournament became less obvious and he was on a mission to prove his footballing skills once again at the age of 33.

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