David Beckham

Name: David Robert Joseph Beckham

Date of Birth: 02 May 1975

Birthplace: Leytonstone, London

Nationality: English

Height: 180 cm (5ft 11in)

Weight: 67 kg (10st 8lb)

Eyes: Green

Hair: Brown

Residence:Hertfordshire and Madrid (Spain)

Martial status: Married to Victoria

Current club: Real Madrid (Spain)

Position: Midfield

Squad number: 23

Career History

Love him or loathe him there is only one David Beckham. His footballing skill is without doubt a shining example for all other footballers to follow. And with every game he plays, be it domestic or international, his reputation, for producing only tthe best football and the scoring of some spectacular goals, gathers greater foundation.

David Beckham was born in Leytonstone on 02 May 1975. David and Manchester United first met when he became the TSB Bobby Charlton Soccer skills champion for his age group in December 1986 aged 11. The prize included a presentation at Old Trafford and a two-week trip to train with Terry Venables’ Barcelona side at the Nou Camp. Attending every United game played in London he was made tteam mascot the following year for the game against West Ham.

After having trials with Leyton Orient and Tottenham Hotspur’s school of excellence he joined Manchester United as a trainee on 8 July 1991. Thus fulfilling his dream of playing for tthe team he had supported and followinf in the footsteps of the players he had admired from afar. His success started almost immediately along with team mates, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes. They won the FA Youth Cup 1992. This led to him making his first senior team debut, the following season, for a Rumbelows league cup match against Brighton and Hove Albion coming on late in the game for Andrei Kanchelskis.

Beckham became a professional player four months later but didn’t get to play another senior team game for over another season. In September 1994 he made his first full appearance against Port Vale in the League Cup. This was followed two months later with his first goal ffor United against Galatasaray in the Champions League. Despite winning the match 4-0, United were knocked out of the competition.

The 1994-1995 season saw Beckham play for two teams in two different divisions. To give him more experience Alex Ferguson loaned him to Preston North End in league Division 3. He played only five matches but scored two goals, the first in his first game for Preston against Doncaster Rovers having come on in the second half. His stay at Preston tthough was short lived and he was recalled to United to play in his Premiership debut against Leeds United on 2 April 1995.

His first Premiership goal came against Aston Villa in the first game of the 1995/1996 season. United were beaten that day and were chastised by Alan Hansen who stated „You can’t win anything with kids“. Beckham and the United team were to prove him very wrong. Scoring eight goals himself that season, United went on to win the Premiership and then the FA Cup, completing the double. The season saw David firmly established himself in the first team taking on the right midfield position with the departure of Andrei Kanchelskis.

The 1996/1997 season is where Beckham made his name and the start of his celebrity. Scoring in the Charity Shield match and defeat of Newcastle and then on to score the goal of the season against Wimbledon, in the first match, with a spectacular goal from the half-way line. These goals made him an instant household name. His form in this and previous seasons hadn’t gone unrecognised and resulted in his call up for England.

Although he had represented England at under-21 level in the previous two seasons he mmade his first full international appearance against Moldova, a World Cup 98 qualification match. He was the only player to have started every qualifying game for France 98 and ended the season winning the Premiership with United and being voted by his peers as the PFA Young Player of the Year and second in the Player of the Year voting.

The following season was controversial and not one Beckham would want to remember. The season was hard – United were knocked out of the Champions League by Monaco and they lost the Premiership title to Arsenal by one point. World Cup 98 in France was to prove more demanding. He was left out of the starting line up in the first two games but scored a beautiful free kick against Colombia. However, four days later he made himself a national pariah through being sent off for aiming a kick at Argentina’s Diego Simone. It was the first sending-off of his professional career.

Undeterred Beckham knuckled down and proved all the critics wrong. In his first match of the 1998/1999 season he scored one of his trademark free kicks against Leicester. It would be the start of his best season yet. United got iinto temendous form and went on to win the Premiership title and the FA Cup. The seasons’ successes were not over. In perhaps one of the best Champions League finals of recent ...