Name: David Robert Joseph
Beckham
Birthday: 02.05.1975
Birth's Place: Leytonstone, England
Role: captain on England's team and midfielder
Shirt's numer: 23
Best foot: right
One of England's most influential football players
and a tabloid favorite, former Manchester United's midfielder, David
Beckham, has become known for his talent as well as his temperament.
David Robert Joseph Beckham was born May 2, 1975, in Leytonstone, England.
As a student in Essex, Beckham won the Bobby Charlton Soccer Skills Award
at the age of 11, making his football talent evident at an early age.
David Beckham gets his start
After being signed as a trainee July 8, 1991, the Bobby Charlton fan
played as a substitute for Andrei Kanchelskis on September 23, 1992. The
game against Brighton marked Beckham's debut as a United player.
Winner of the 1992 F.A. Youth Cup and runner-up a year later, Beckham was
finally signed as a professional United player in January 1993. The
18-year-old soccer pro played in his first Champions League game and
contributed a goal to the team's final win.
Despite his talent, Beckham only made his full debut in April 1995. He
became a first team regular in the 1996-'97 seasons as a right midfielder.
In 1996, not only did England get a taste of Beckham's crossing, free kick
and long shot talent, but the player also won the F.A. Premier League, Cup
and Charity Shield; all in the same year. 1996 was also the year Beckham
made his international debut in a game against Moldova.
David Beckham in the World Cup
The same summer, Beckham scored his first international goal in the June
26, 1998 game against Colombia, although he made waves in a negative way.
During the 1998 World Cup in France, Beckham kicked Diego Simeone lightly
in the back of the leg, in retaliation for having been fouled by the
player.
Needles to say, Beckham's vengeful kick basically kicked himself -- out of
the game, that is. Outnumbered by Argentina, England lost the game (at
least that's what they attribute their loss to), and Beckham's nation was
unforgiving, to say the least.
The tabloids later followed Beckham off the soccer field and onto his posh
wedding to Spice Girl Victoria Adams, in July 1999. In March of 2000, the
couple welcomed their son Brooklyn Joseph to the world. Beckham's personal
life has since overshadowed the negative media stories focusing on his bad
temper, shifting to stories on to his wife, who is also a tabloid
favorite.
David Beckham makes news
Back to soccer though: In 1999, Beckham won another F.A. Cup, and came in
2nd in the European Ballon d'Or awards and as FIFA's World Player of the
Year. He also won a Champions League title, an Intercontinental Cup and an
English league title that same year.
But despite the honors, Beckham's temper had not improved; something that
was evident after he received a red-card for tackling a Necaxa player at
the FIFA World Club Championships.
David Beckham: My Story, the United Manchester midfielder's autobiography,
was released in 1998.
Beckham also made headlines after his Ferrari had apparently been
sabotaged, and there were even attempts to kidnap Beckham's eldest son,
Brooklyn. David and Victoria Beckham welcomed their second son, Romeo,
into the world in September 2002.
At the 2002 World Cup, in another tense matchup with Argentina, Beckham
redeemed himself in the eyes of English fans when he converted a penalty
kick that eventually gave England the victory. The red card he received
four years earlier had been forgiven.
David Beckham goes to real madrid
In June 2003, it was announced that Real Madrid would pay a transfer fee
of $41 million for David Beckham, who joined a team full of star
footballers like Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, and Ronaldo. His latest
autobiography, Beckham: Both Feet on the Ground, is an in-depth look at
Beckham's rags to riches story, his career highlights with Manchester
United, and how he balances super-stardom with his life as a family man.
In entertainment news, Beckham became an even bigger name when the sleeper
hit of 2003, Bend It Like Beckham, paid homage to the soccer player in its
title. Beckham is also getting press as the poster boy for "metrosexuals"
worldwide.
David Beckham's family affair
Lately, Beckham has been in the news for the wrong reasons. Rebecca Loos,
his former personal assistant, has admitted that they had an affair,
causing speculation that his marriage to Victoria Beckham is in trouble.
The News of the World, a UK newspaper, also published an explicit
transcript of the text messages exchanged between David Beckham and
Rebecca Loos, and unidentified sources claim the pair had sex at the hotel
Beckham was living in when he first arrived in Spain to play for Real
Madrid.
But everything is back to normal in the Beckham household, as Victoria
gave birth to son No. 3, Cruz, on February 20, 2005. Of course, the birth
made headlines, thanks to what the media claims is a feminine name -- at
least in Spain (Cruz means "cross" in Spanish).
What else do you need to know?
Palmares:
6 Premier Leagues (1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and in 2003)
1 Englands' Cup (1999)
2 Champions Leagues (1996 and in 1999)
1 Intercontinental Cup (1991)
2 Charity Shield's Cups (1996 and in 1997)
1 Espana's Supercup (2003)
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