David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE (born 2 May 1975) is a professional football (soccer) player from England who plays for Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy. He is also currently a member of the England national team.
In addition to his success on the pitch, Beckham has been recognized by Time magazine as one of the Time 100 (Heroes & Icons), and has received many other accolades for his charitable work and leadership off the pitch. In this May's Greatest Britons 2007 awards, he was voted "Britain's Greatest Ambassador".
In addition to his success on the pitch, Beckham has been recognized by Time magazine as one of the Time 100 (Heroes & Icons), and has received many other accolades for his charitable work and leadership off the pitch. In this May's Greatest Britons 2007 awards, he was voted "Britain's Greatest Ambassador".
As recently as 2004, Beckham was the world's highest-paid footballer, and also was Google's most searched sports topic in both 2003 and 2004.
He is well-known as an elite global advertising brand, and beyond his major adidas campaigns, boasts countless non-sport endorsements as diverse as Best Buy electronics and Disney theme parks.
Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his debut first-team appearance in 1992, at the age of 17. United excelled in the English Premier League during his time there, winning the EPL title six times, FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He left the club to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, helping them later that year to win the Supercopa de España, and then this year, on his last day playing for them, the 2006-07 Spanish Primera División title.
Beckham was captain of England from 15 November 2000 to 2 July 2006. He made 58 appearances as captain, one of the most in England's history, but ended his tenure in that role after England's quarterfinal exit in the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals. Although he was also initially dropped as a player from the England national team squad selected by coach Steve McClaren, he was recalled to the team to play again in the spring of 2007.
On 10 January 2007, Real Madrid Sporting Director Predrag Mijatovic announced Beckham would leave the club when his contract expired. The following day, it was announced that Beckham had agreed to a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy, and he played his final match with Real Madrid on 17 June, after which the team was awarded the 2006-07 La Liga championship.
His new contract with the LA Galaxy took effect on 1 July 2007, and the team introduced him officially to the press and to fans on 13 July in a presentation also revealing his number (23) and the team's own new uniform design. 5000 Galaxy fans attended the press conference at the Home Depot Center, with dignitaries including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa welcoming Beckham in the ceremony aired live around the world.
He is well-known as an elite global advertising brand, and beyond his major adidas campaigns, boasts countless non-sport endorsements as diverse as Best Buy electronics and Disney theme parks.
Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his debut first-team appearance in 1992, at the age of 17. United excelled in the English Premier League during his time there, winning the EPL title six times, FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He left the club to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, helping them later that year to win the Supercopa de España, and then this year, on his last day playing for them, the 2006-07 Spanish Primera División title.
Beckham was captain of England from 15 November 2000 to 2 July 2006. He made 58 appearances as captain, one of the most in England's history, but ended his tenure in that role after England's quarterfinal exit in the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals. Although he was also initially dropped as a player from the England national team squad selected by coach Steve McClaren, he was recalled to the team to play again in the spring of 2007.
On 10 January 2007, Real Madrid Sporting Director Predrag Mijatovic announced Beckham would leave the club when his contract expired. The following day, it was announced that Beckham had agreed to a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy, and he played his final match with Real Madrid on 17 June, after which the team was awarded the 2006-07 La Liga championship.
His new contract with the LA Galaxy took effect on 1 July 2007, and the team introduced him officially to the press and to fans on 13 July in a presentation also revealing his number (23) and the team's own new uniform design. 5000 Galaxy fans attended the press conference at the Home Depot Center, with dignitaries including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa welcoming Beckham in the ceremony aired live around the world.
Childhood and early career
Beckham was born in Leytonstone, London, England the son of David Edward Alan "Ted" Beckham, a kitchen fitter and Manchester United fan, and Sandra Georgina West,[13] a hairdresser. He regularly played football in Ridgeway Park, Chingford as a child. His maternal grandfather, Joseph West, is Jewish,[14] and Beckham has spoken of the influence the religion has had on him but is not known to practice Judaism or any other faith, though he stated in his book Both Feet on th
e Ground that growing up he always attended church with his parents and sisters.
His parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters who would frequently travel to Old Trafford from London to attend Manchester United's home matches. David inherited his parents' love of Manchester United and his main sporting passion was football. He attended one of Bobby Charlton's football schools in Manchester and won the chance to take part in a training session at FC Barcelona, as part of a talent competition. As a child he played for a local youth team called the Ridgeway Rovers coached by his father, Stuart Underwood and Steve Kirby.
He was Manchester United's mascot for a match against West Ham United in 1986. Young Beckham had trials with his local club, Leyton Orient, and attended Tottenham Hotspur's, which was the first club he played for, school of excellence. During a two year period in which he played for Brimsdown Rovers' youth team, he was named Under-15 Player of the Year in 1990.He also attended Bradenton Preparatory Academy, but signed schoolboy forms at Manchester United on his fourteenth birthday, and subsequently signed a Youth Training Scheme contract on 8 July 1991.
He was part of an exceptionally talented group of young players at the club who guided the club to win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992, with Beckham scoring in the second leg of the final against Crystal Palace. He made his first appearance for United's first-team that year, as a substitute in a League Cup match against the glorious Brighton & Hove Albion, and signed his first professional contract shortly afterwards. United reached the final of the Youth Cup again the following year, with Beckham playing in their defeat by Leeds United, and he won another medal in 1994 when the club's reserve team won their league.
He went to Preston North End on loan in the 1994–95 season to get some first team experience, then made his first Premier League appearance for Manchester United on 2 April 1995, in a goalless draw against Leeds United.
Manchester United era
Becoming a first-team player
United manager
Alex Ferguson had a great deal of confidence in the club's young players. When three of his first-team players left the club at the end of the 1994-95 season, his decision to let youth team players replace them instead of buying players from other clubs, drew a great deal of criticism. The criticism increased when United started the season with a 3–1 defeat at Aston Villa,[17] with Beckham scoring United's only goal of the game; however, United won their next five matches and the young players performed well. Beckham became a regular player on the team and helped them to win the Premiership and FA Cup double that season, scoring the winner in the semi-final against Chelsea and also taking the corner that Éric Cantona scored from in the FA Cup Final. Still, Beckham's form was not good enough to break into the England squad before Euro 96.
In August 1996, Beckham became something of a household name when he scored a spectacular goal in a match against Wimbledon. With United ahead 2–0, 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.[18] Beckham was frequently mentioned in the press, and he made his first appearance for the England national football team on 1 September 1996, in a World Cup qualifying match against Moldova. He became an automatic first-choice player at United during the 1996-97 season, helping them to retain the Premier League championship, and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year by his peers.
United started the 1997-98 season well, but their performance deteriorated when several players got injured. They finished the season in second place, behind Arsenal.
World Cup 1998
Beckham had played in all of England's qualifying matches for the 1998
FIFA World Cup and was part of the England squad at the World Cup finals in France,[19] but the team's manager Glenn Hoddle publicly accused him of not concentrating on the tournament,[20] and he did not start in either of England's first two matches. He was picked for their third match against Colombia and scored from a long-range free kick in a 2–0 victory, which was his first goal for England.
In the Second Round of that competition, he received a red card in England's match against Argentina. Beckham, after having been fouled by Diego Simeone, appeared to kick out at Simeone, striking him on the calf. Simeone later admitted to trying to get Beckham sent off by over-reacting to the kick and then, along with other members of his team, urging the referee to send Beckham off.The match finished in a draw and England were eliminated in a penalty shootout. Many supporters and journalists blamed him for England's elimination and he became the target of criticism and abuse, including the hanging of an effigy outside a London pub, and the Daily Mirror printing a dartboard with a picture of him centred on the bullseye. Beckham also received death threats after the World Cup and the incident is also the topic for his Adidas advert.
Winning over the England fans
The abuse that Beckham was receiving from English supporters peaked during England's 3–2 defeat by Portugal in Euro 2000, a match where Beckham had two assists, when a group of England supporters taunted him throughout the match.Beckham responded with a one-fingered gesture and, while the gesture attracted some criticism, many of the newspapers that had previously encourag
ed his vilification asked their readers to stop abusing him.
On 15 November 2000, following Kevin Keegan's resignation as England manager in October, Beckham was promoted to team captain by the caretaker manager Peter Taylor, and then kept the role under new manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. He helped England to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Finals, with their performances including an impressive 5–1 victory over Germany in Munich. The final step in Beckham's conversion from villain to hero happened in England's 2–2 draw against Greece on 6 October 2001. England needed to win or draw the match in order to qualify outright for the World Cup, but were losing 2–1 with little time remaining. The rest of the England team were playing relatively poorly, and it was Beckham's inspirational performance that lifted his teammates. When Teddy Sheringham was fouled some eight yards outside the Greek penalty area, England were awarded a free-kick and Beckham ensured England's qualification with a curling strike of the kind that had become his trademark. Shortly afterwards, he was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2001. He once again finished runner-up, to Luís Figo of Portugal, for the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
World Cup 2002 and final season
He was partially fit by the time of the 2002 FIFA World Cup and played in the first match against Sweden. Beckham scored the winning goal of the match against Argentina with a penalty, causing Argentina to fail to qualify fo
r the knockout stage. England were knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Brazil. 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.
Following an injury early in the 2002-03 season, Beckham was unable to regain his place on the Manchester United team, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær having replaced him on the right side of midfield. His relationship with his manager deteriorated further on 15 February 2003 when, in the changing room following a defeat to Arsenal, Sir Alex Ferguson kicked a football boot that struck Beckham over the eye, causing a cut that required stitches. 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. He was still a first-choice player for England, however, and he was awarded an OBE for services to football on 13 June.
During his 11-year stint at United, Beckham made 266 appearances for them and scored 61 goals.
He won 6 Premiership titles, 2 FA Cup's, 1 UEFA Champions League, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FA Youth Cup with his time at United.
Real Madrid era
Beckham (right) and Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid
Manchester United had been keen to sell Beckham to Barcelona[32] but he refused to go there, instead signing a four-year contract with Real Madrid, worth a potential €35 million.[33] The transfer was completed on 1 July and made him the third Englishman to play for the club after Laurie Cunningham and Steve McManaman. It was speculated that Real's desire to sign him came from the merchandising opportunities he would bring as well as from his football ability. For example, Real Madrid shirts bearing his name and number sold out in Madrid on the day his transfer was completed and the club were expected to receive €624,000 for the sale of the shirts. Although Beckham had worn the number seven shirt for Manchester United and England, he was unable to wear it at Madrid as Raúl had the right to wear it written into his contract. 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.
First season 2003-04
that he and Loos had had an extramarital affair. A week later, the model Sarah Marbeck claimed that she had slept with Beckham on two occasions. Beckham dismissed both accusations as "ludicrous".Real Madrid finished the season in a disappointing fourth place, and were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League at the quarter-final stage. But, Beckham immediately became a favourite with the Real Madrid supporters, scoring five times in his first 16 matches, but the team, whose club president expected them to win either the Spanish league or the Champions League each season, was not performing well. He had further problems in April 2004, when the British tabloid News of the World carried claims by his former personal assistant Rebecca LoosMalaysian-born Australian.
Euro 2004
Beckham played in all of England's matches at Euro 2004, but the tournament was a disappointment for him. He had a penalty saved in England's 2-1 defeat to France and badly missed another in a penalty shootout in the quarter final against Portugal. England lost the shootout
and went out of the competition.
Second season, 2004-05
Beckham made more headlines on In July 2004, while Beckham was in pre-season training in Spain, an intruder scaled a wall at the Beckhams' home while carrying a can of petrol. Victoria and their children were in the house at the time, but security guards apprehended the man before he reached the house.[36]9 October 2004 when he admitted intentionally fouling Ben Thatcher in an England match against Wales in order to get himself booked. 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 in order 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.
Beckham became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in January 2005 and was involved in promoting London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Third season, 2005-06
Real Madrid had another disappointing season, finishing second to Barcelona (with a 12 point gap) in the La Liga and only reaching the last sixteen in the Champions League after losing to Arsenal by a goal. Although there is the notable fact that Beckham led La Liga in assists for the season.
World Cup 2006
During the FIFA World Cup 2006, England were seen as potential winners by many, but since the start of the competition
the team had several slow paced matches and Beckham's performance was criticised by the majority of the press and public. However, many still considered Beckham's contribution to England important as the team progressed to the quarter-finals of the tournament.
In England's opening game against Paraguay on 10 June 2006 Beckham's free kick led to an own-goal by Carlos Gamarra, and England won 1-0. In England's next match, played against Trinidad and Tobago on 15 June 2006, Beckham's cross in the 83rd minute led to Peter Crouch's goal which put England ahead 1-0. Beckham gave another assist to Steven Gerrard. In the end they won 2-0. He was named Man-of-the-Match by tournament sponsor Budweiser for this game. The English media criticised Beckham's performance in England's final Group B match against Sweden on 20 June 2006,[citation needed] citing his apparent inability to take the ball around players as an increasing hindrance to England's chances of winning the World Cup.
During England's second round match against Ecuador, Beckham scored from a free kick in the 59th minute, becoming the first ever English player to score in three World Cups,[44] and giving England a 1-0 victory and a place in the quarter-finals. He was sick before the game and vomited several times as a result of dehydration and illness after he scored the winning goal.
In the quarterfinals stage of the World Cup against Portugal, Beckham was substituted following an injury shortly after half time and the England team went on to lose the match on penalties (3-1), the scores having been 0-0 after extra time. After his substitution, Beckham was visibly shaken and emotional for not being able to play, being in tears at one point.
saying, "It has been an honour and privilege to captain my country but, having been captain for 58 of my 95 games, I feel the time is right to pass on the armband as we enter a new era under Steve McClaren". Note that Beckham had actually won 94 caps up to that point, an error on his part. He was then succeeded by Chelsea captain John Terry.A day after England were knocked out of the World Cup, an emotional Beckham made a statement in a news conference saying that he had stepped down as England captain,
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. 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.
Honours
With Manchester United (1992 - 2003)
FA Premier League - Champion (6): 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2002-03
FA Premier League - Runner Up: 1994-95, 1997-98
FA Youth Cup Winner: 1992
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 (5): 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003
Community Shield Runner Up: 1998, 2000, 2001
FIFA World Player Of The Year Award Finalist in 1999 and 2001 (runner-up both years)
With Real Madrid (2003 - 2007)
Supercopa de España (1): 2003
Primera División Champion (1): 2006-2007
Special
Named in Pelé's FIFA 100 list of the greatest living players.[71]
Personal life
In 1997, Beckham started dating Victoria Adams, widely known as "Posh Spice" of the pop music group Spice Girls, and their relationship attracted a great deal of media interest. The couple were dubbed "Posh and Becks" by the media. He proposed to Victoria on 24 January1998 in a restaurant in Cheshunt, England.
He married Adams at Luttrellstown Castle, Ireland on 4 July 1999, and her name changed to Victoria Beckham. The wedding attracted tremendous media coverage. Beckham's teammate Gary Neville was the best man, and the couple's son Brooklyn, then four months old, 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 £500,000.
The Beckhams have three sons: Brooklyn Joseph Beckham (born March 4, 1999), Romeo James Beckham (born 1 September 2002) and Cruz David Beckham (February 20, 2005 in Madrid, Spain).
In an April 2006 interview, Beckham told The Daily Mail that he suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder.
In April 2007, the family purchased their new home in Beverly Hills, California, to coincide with David's move to the Galaxy in July. The location of the mansion, priced at $22 million U.S., will mean Posh and Becks will be neighbors with, among others, the actor couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and talk-show host Jay Leno.
Charitable work
Beckham has supported UNICEF since his days at Manchester United and in January 2005 the England Football Captain became a Goodwill Ambassador with a special focus on UNICEF's Sports for Development program.
On 17 January 2007, Rebecca Johnstone, a 19-year-old cancer patient in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada received a surprise phone call from Beckham. After the conversation, he sent her a Real Madrid Jersey with his signature on it. Rebecca passed away on 29 January 2007.[81]
Beckham is currently a spokesman for Malaria No More, a New York-based nonprofit launched in 2006. Malaria No More's mission is to end deaths caused by malaria in Africa. Beckham appears in a 2007 Public Service Announcement advertising the need for inexpensive bed nets. The TV spot currently airs in the U.S. on FOX Networks including Fox Soccer Channel, and can also be seen on YouTube
Appearances in films
Bend It Like Beckham
Beckham never personally appeared in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham except in archive footage. He and his wife wanted to make cameo appearances but scheduling prove
d difficult, so the director used lookalikes instead.
The Goal! Trilogy
"Beckham" makes a cameo appearance with Zidane and Raùl, in the 2005 film Goal!: The Dream Begins. Lookalike Andy Harmer, who played Beckham in Bend It..., also appears here in one party scene as Becks. Beckham himself appears in the sequel Goal! 2: Living the Dream... in a larger role, when the film's lead character gets transferred to Real Madrid. This time the story centers around the Real Madrid team, and besides Beckham, other real life Real Madrid players also appear on and off the pitch, alongside the fictional characters. Beckham also will appear in Goal! 3, scheduled for release in 2008.
Asterix at the Olympic Games (Astérix aux jeux olympiques)
In his first feature film role playing someone other than himself, Beckham has a small part (again alongside former Real teammate Zidane) in this live-action French-language take on the comic, with a release scheduled to coincide with the 2008 Bejing Summer Olympic Games.
Records
Beckham captained England 58 times during his tenure as England captain[88], one of the most in England's history. With his free kick goal against Ecuador in the second round of the 2006 World Cup, Beckham gained membership into two of football's most exclusive clubs: he became the only English player — and the 21st player regardless of nationality — to score in three world cups. Real Madrid team-mate Raùl also achieved this feat a few days earlier.It also made him only the fifth player in World Cup history to score twice from direct free kicks; the other four were Pelé, Rivelino, Teófilo Cubillas and Bernard Genghini (Beckham had previously scored this way against Colombia in the first round of the 1998 World Cup). All three goals were against South American teams (Colombia, Argentina and Ecuador) and from set pieces (the two aforementioned free kicks and a penalty against Argentina).
Beckham was born in Leytonstone, London, England the son of David Edward Alan "Ted" Beckham, a kitchen fitter and Manchester United fan, and Sandra Georgina West,[13] a hairdresser. He regularly played football in Ridgeway Park, Chingford as a child. His maternal grandfather, Joseph West, is Jewish,[14] and Beckham has spoken of the influence the religion has had on him but is not known to practice Judaism or any other faith, though he stated in his book Both Feet on th
e Ground that growing up he always attended church with his parents and sisters.His parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters who would frequently travel to Old Trafford from London to attend Manchester United's home matches. David inherited his parents' love of Manchester United and his main sporting passion was football. He attended one of Bobby Charlton's football schools in Manchester and won the chance to take part in a training session at FC Barcelona, as part of a talent competition. As a child he played for a local youth team called the Ridgeway Rovers coached by his father, Stuart Underwood and Steve Kirby.
He was Manchester United's mascot for a match against West Ham United in 1986. Young Beckham had trials with his local club, Leyton Orient, and attended Tottenham Hotspur's, which was the first club he played for, school of excellence. During a two year period in which he played for Brimsdown Rovers' youth team, he was named Under-15 Player of the Year in 1990.He also attended Bradenton Preparatory Academy, but signed schoolboy forms at Manchester United on his fourteenth birthday, and subsequently signed a Youth Training Scheme contract on 8 July 1991.
He was part of an exceptionally talented group of young players at the club who guided the club to win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992, with Beckham scoring in the second leg of the final against Crystal Palace. He made his first appearance for United's first-team that year, as a substitute in a League Cup match against the glorious Brighton & Hove Albion, and signed his first professional contract shortly afterwards. United reached the final of the Youth Cup again the following year, with Beckham playing in their defeat by Leeds United, and he won another medal in 1994 when the club's reserve team won their league.
He went to Preston North End on loan in the 1994–95 season to get some first team experience, then made his first Premier League appearance for Manchester United on 2 April 1995, in a goalless draw against Leeds United.
Manchester United era
Becoming a first-team player
United manager
Alex Ferguson had a great deal of confidence in the club's young players. When three of his first-team players left the club at the end of the 1994-95 season, his decision to let youth team players replace them instead of buying players from other clubs, drew a great deal of criticism. The criticism increased when United started the season with a 3–1 defeat at Aston Villa,[17] with Beckham scoring United's only goal of the game; however, United won their next five matches and the young players performed well. Beckham became a regular player on the team and helped them to win the Premiership and FA Cup double that season, scoring the winner in the semi-final against Chelsea and also taking the corner that Éric Cantona scored from in the FA Cup Final. Still, Beckham's form was not good enough to break into the England squad before Euro 96.In August 1996, Beckham became something of a household name when he scored a spectacular goal in a match against Wimbledon. With United ahead 2–0, 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.[18] Beckham was frequently mentioned in the press, and he made his first appearance for the England national football team on 1 September 1996, in a World Cup qualifying match against Moldova. He became an automatic first-choice player at United during the 1996-97 season, helping them to retain the Premier League championship, and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year by his peers.
United started the 1997-98 season well, but their performance deteriorated when several players got injured. They finished the season in second place, behind Arsenal.
World Cup 1998
Beckham had played in all of England's qualifying matches for the 1998
FIFA World Cup and was part of the England squad at the World Cup finals in France,[19] but the team's manager Glenn Hoddle publicly accused him of not concentrating on the tournament,[20] and he did not start in either of England's first two matches. He was picked for their third match against Colombia and scored from a long-range free kick in a 2–0 victory, which was his first goal for England.In the Second Round of that competition, he received a red card in England's match against Argentina. Beckham, after having been fouled by Diego Simeone, appeared to kick out at Simeone, striking him on the calf. Simeone later admitted to trying to get Beckham sent off by over-reacting to the kick and then, along with other members of his team, urging the referee to send Beckham off.The match finished in a draw and England were eliminated in a penalty shootout. Many supporters and journalists blamed him for England's elimination and he became the target of criticism and abuse, including the hanging of an effigy outside a London pub, and the Daily Mirror printing a dartboard with a picture of him centred on the bullseye. Beckham also received death threats after the World Cup and the incident is also the topic for his Adidas advert.
Winning over the England fans
The abuse that Beckham was receiving from English supporters peaked during England's 3–2 defeat by Portugal in Euro 2000, a match where Beckham had two assists, when a group of England supporters taunted him throughout the match.Beckham responded with a one-fingered gesture and, while the gesture attracted some criticism, many of the newspapers that had previously encourag
ed his vilification asked their readers to stop abusing him.On 15 November 2000, following Kevin Keegan's resignation as England manager in October, Beckham was promoted to team captain by the caretaker manager Peter Taylor, and then kept the role under new manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. He helped England to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Finals, with their performances including an impressive 5–1 victory over Germany in Munich. The final step in Beckham's conversion from villain to hero happened in England's 2–2 draw against Greece on 6 October 2001. England needed to win or draw the match in order to qualify outright for the World Cup, but were losing 2–1 with little time remaining. The rest of the England team were playing relatively poorly, and it was Beckham's inspirational performance that lifted his teammates. When Teddy Sheringham was fouled some eight yards outside the Greek penalty area, England were awarded a free-kick and Beckham ensured England's qualification with a curling strike of the kind that had become his trademark. Shortly afterwards, he was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2001. He once again finished runner-up, to Luís Figo of Portugal, for the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
World Cup 2002 and final season
He was partially fit by the time of the 2002 FIFA World Cup and played in the first match against Sweden. Beckham scored the winning goal of the match against Argentina with a penalty, causing Argentina to fail to qualify fo
r the knockout stage. England were knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Brazil. 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.Following an injury early in the 2002-03 season, Beckham was unable to regain his place on the Manchester United team, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær having replaced him on the right side of midfield. His relationship with his manager deteriorated further on 15 February 2003 when, in the changing room following a defeat to Arsenal, Sir Alex Ferguson kicked a football boot that struck Beckham over the eye, causing a cut that required stitches. 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. He was still a first-choice player for England, however, and he was awarded an OBE for services to football on 13 June.
During his 11-year stint at United, Beckham made 266 appearances for them and scored 61 goals.
He won 6 Premiership titles, 2 FA Cup's, 1 UEFA Champions League, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FA Youth Cup with his time at United.
Real Madrid era
Beckham (right) and Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid
Manchester United had been keen to sell Beckham to Barcelona[32] but he refused to go there, instead signing a four-year contract with Real Madrid, worth a potential €35 million.[33] The transfer was completed on 1 July and made him the third Englishman to play for the club after Laurie Cunningham and Steve McManaman. It was speculated that Real's desire to sign him came from the merchandising opportunities he would bring as well as from his football ability. For example, Real Madrid shirts bearing his name and number sold out in Madrid on the day his transfer was completed and the club were expected to receive €624,000 for the sale of the shirts. Although Beckham had worn the number seven shirt for Manchester United and England, he was unable to wear it at Madrid as Raúl had the right to wear it written into his contract. 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.
First season 2003-04
that he and Loos had had an extramarital affair. A week later, the model Sarah Marbeck claimed that she had slept with Beckham on two occasions. Beckham dismissed both accusations as "ludicrous".Real Madrid finished the season in a disappointing fourth place, and were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League at the quarter-final stage. But, Beckham immediately became a favourite with the Real Madrid supporters, scoring five times in his first 16 matches, but the team, whose club president expected them to win either the Spanish league or the Champions League each season, was not performing well. He had further problems in April 2004, when the British tabloid News of the World carried claims by his former personal assistant Rebecca LoosMalaysian-born Australian.
Euro 2004
Beckham played in all of England's matches at Euro 2004, but the tournament was a disappointment for him. He had a penalty saved in England's 2-1 defeat to France and badly missed another in a penalty shootout in the quarter final against Portugal. England lost the shootout
and went out of the competition.Second season, 2004-05
Beckham made more headlines on In July 2004, while Beckham was in pre-season training in Spain, an intruder scaled a wall at the Beckhams' home while carrying a can of petrol. Victoria and their children were in the house at the time, but security guards apprehended the man before he reached the house.[36]9 October 2004 when he admitted intentionally fouling Ben Thatcher in an England match against Wales in order to get himself booked. 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 in order 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.
Beckham became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in January 2005 and was involved in promoting London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Third season, 2005-06
Real Madrid had another disappointing season, finishing second to Barcelona (with a 12 point gap) in the La Liga and only reaching the last sixteen in the Champions League after losing to Arsenal by a goal. Although there is the notable fact that Beckham led La Liga in assists for the season.
World Cup 2006
During the FIFA World Cup 2006, England were seen as potential winners by many, but since the start of the competition
the team had several slow paced matches and Beckham's performance was criticised by the majority of the press and public. However, many still considered Beckham's contribution to England important as the team progressed to the quarter-finals of the tournament.In England's opening game against Paraguay on 10 June 2006 Beckham's free kick led to an own-goal by Carlos Gamarra, and England won 1-0. In England's next match, played against Trinidad and Tobago on 15 June 2006, Beckham's cross in the 83rd minute led to Peter Crouch's goal which put England ahead 1-0. Beckham gave another assist to Steven Gerrard. In the end they won 2-0. He was named Man-of-the-Match by tournament sponsor Budweiser for this game. The English media criticised Beckham's performance in England's final Group B match against Sweden on 20 June 2006,[citation needed] citing his apparent inability to take the ball around players as an increasing hindrance to England's chances of winning the World Cup.
During England's second round match against Ecuador, Beckham scored from a free kick in the 59th minute, becoming the first ever English player to score in three World Cups,[44] and giving England a 1-0 victory and a place in the quarter-finals. He was sick before the game and vomited several times as a result of dehydration and illness after he scored the winning goal.
In the quarterfinals stage of the World Cup against Portugal, Beckham was substituted following an injury shortly after half time and the England team went on to lose the match on penalties (3-1), the scores having been 0-0 after extra time. After his substitution, Beckham was visibly shaken and emotional for not being able to play, being in tears at one point.
saying, "It has been an honour and privilege to captain my country but, having been captain for 58 of my 95 games, I feel the time is right to pass on the armband as we enter a new era under Steve McClaren". Note that Beckham had actually won 94 caps up to that point, an error on his part. He was then succeeded by Chelsea captain John Terry.A day after England were knocked out of the World Cup, an emotional Beckham made a statement in a news conference saying that he had stepped down as England captain,
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. 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.
Honours
With Manchester United (1992 - 2003)
FA Premier League - Champion (6): 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2002-03
FA Premier League - Runner Up: 1994-95, 1997-98
FA Youth Cup Winner: 1992
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 (5): 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003
Community Shield Runner Up: 1998, 2000, 2001
FIFA World Player Of The Year Award Finalist in 1999 and 2001 (runner-up both years)
With Real Madrid (2003 - 2007)
Supercopa de España (1): 2003
Primera División Champion (1): 2006-2007
Special
Named in Pelé's FIFA 100 list of the greatest living players.[71]
Personal life
In 1997, Beckham started dating Victoria Adams, widely known as "Posh Spice" of the pop music group Spice Girls, and their relationship attracted a great deal of media interest. The couple were dubbed "Posh and Becks" by the media. He proposed to Victoria on 24 January1998 in a restaurant in Cheshunt, England.
He married Adams at Luttrellstown Castle, Ireland on 4 July 1999, and her name changed to Victoria Beckham. The wedding attracted tremendous media coverage. Beckham's teammate Gary Neville was the best man, and the couple's son Brooklyn, then four months old, 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 £500,000.
The Beckhams have three sons: Brooklyn Joseph Beckham (born March 4, 1999), Romeo James Beckham (born 1 September 2002) and Cruz David Beckham (February 20, 2005 in Madrid, Spain).
In an April 2006 interview, Beckham told The Daily Mail that he suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder.
In April 2007, the family purchased their new home in Beverly Hills, California, to coincide with David's move to the Galaxy in July. The location of the mansion, priced at $22 million U.S., will mean Posh and Becks will be neighbors with, among others, the actor couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and talk-show host Jay Leno.
Charitable work
Beckham has supported UNICEF since his days at Manchester United and in January 2005 the England Football Captain became a Goodwill Ambassador with a special focus on UNICEF's Sports for Development program.
On 17 January 2007, Rebecca Johnstone, a 19-year-old cancer patient in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada received a surprise phone call from Beckham. After the conversation, he sent her a Real Madrid Jersey with his signature on it. Rebecca passed away on 29 January 2007.[81]
Beckham is currently a spokesman for Malaria No More, a New York-based nonprofit launched in 2006. Malaria No More's mission is to end deaths caused by malaria in Africa. Beckham appears in a 2007 Public Service Announcement advertising the need for inexpensive bed nets. The TV spot currently airs in the U.S. on FOX Networks including Fox Soccer Channel, and can also be seen on YouTube
Appearances in films
Bend It Like Beckham
Beckham never personally appeared in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham except in archive footage. He and his wife wanted to make cameo appearances but scheduling prove
d difficult, so the director used lookalikes instead.The Goal! Trilogy
"Beckham" makes a cameo appearance with Zidane and Raùl, in the 2005 film Goal!: The Dream Begins. Lookalike Andy Harmer, who played Beckham in Bend It..., also appears here in one party scene as Becks. Beckham himself appears in the sequel Goal! 2: Living the Dream... in a larger role, when the film's lead character gets transferred to Real Madrid. This time the story centers around the Real Madrid team, and besides Beckham, other real life Real Madrid players also appear on and off the pitch, alongside the fictional characters. Beckham also will appear in Goal! 3, scheduled for release in 2008.
Asterix at the Olympic Games (Astérix aux jeux olympiques)
In his first feature film role playing someone other than himself, Beckham has a small part (again alongside former Real teammate Zidane) in this live-action French-language take on the comic, with a release scheduled to coincide with the 2008 Bejing Summer Olympic Games.
Records
Beckham captained England 58 times during his tenure as England captain[88], one of the most in England's history. With his free kick goal against Ecuador in the second round of the 2006 World Cup, Beckham gained membership into two of football's most exclusive clubs: he became the only English player — and the 21st player regardless of nationality — to score in three world cups. Real Madrid team-mate Raùl also achieved this feat a few days earlier.It also made him only the fifth player in World Cup history to score twice from direct free kicks; the other four were Pelé, Rivelino, Teófilo Cubillas and Bernard Genghini (Beckham had previously scored this way against Colombia in the first round of the 1998 World Cup). All three goals were against South American teams (Colombia, Argentina and Ecuador) and from set pieces (the two aforementioned free kicks and a penalty against Argentina).
