DAVID BECKHAM
Personal information
Full name David Robert Joseph Beckham
Date of birth 2 May 1975 (age 32)
Place of birth Leytonstone, London, England
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Playing position Right winger
Club information
Current club Los Angeles Galaxy
Number 23
Senior clubs
1993–2003 Manchester United
2003-2007 Real Madrid
2007-Now Los Angeles Galaxy
National team
1994–1996 England U21
1996– England
David Beckham Biography
Born in Leytonstone on May 2, 1975 is an English professional football (soccer) midfielder whoplays for and captains Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy. He is also currently a member of the England national team. David Robert Joseph Beckham was a Manchester United fan from a very early age. He even insisted on wearing a Red Devils shirt when training with London club TottenhamHotspur as a schoolboy. The admiration was mutual – the biggest football club in the world had its eye on the young player.Soccer has always been the biggest thing in David Beckham's life. He used to play for hours when he was a kid. Beckham and his father would kick the ball around until it was too dark to see each other. Because he was always kicking the ball around, David Beckham never did all that well at school. Beckham failed out when he was 16 and went to play soccer for Manchester United's Jr. Team. David played his first pro game for Manchester two years later when he was 18. By 1996, David Beckham was a regular with the team and one of the most popular players in England - by helping the team win an FA Cup and a Premier Division title in the same year. In 2002, David Beckham helped England advance to the quarter-finals of the World Cup of Soccer in Korea and Japan, where the English lost to the eventual champions from Brazil. In 2003, David Beckham was transferred to Real Madrid for a mind-boggling $40 million. After a disappointing season with Real Madrid, David Beckham is hoping he can lead England to victory in Euro 2004.David Beckham's success in soccer means he's now making a ton of cash. David Beckham makes more than $15 million dollars a year playing for Real Madrid and zillions more from advertising endorsements. In 2007 David Beckham became the $250-million man when he and his wife, Victoria Adams (Posh Spice of the Spice Girls) and their sons Brooklyn (born in March 1999,) and Romeo, (born in September, 2002), moved to Beverly Hills to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS.
Beckham's Sporting Titles and Awards
Individual
- PFA Young Player of the Year: 1997
- Named in 1998 FIFA World Cup All-star team
- FIFA World Player Of The Year Award finalist: 1999, 2001 (runner-up both years)
- UEFA Club Player of the Year Winner: 1999
- UEFA Club Player of the Year Finalist: 2001
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year: 2001
- Named in Pelé's FIFA 100 list of the greatest living players.[74]
Club
Manchester United (1993–2003)
- Premier League - Champion (6): 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03
- Premier League - Runner Up: 1994–95, 1997–98
- 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 (4): 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997
- Community Shield Runner Up: 1998, 2000, 2001
- FA Youth Cup Winner: 1992
Real Madrid (2003–2007)
- Primera División Champion (1): 2006–2007
- Supercopa de España (1): 2003
LA Galaxy (2007–present)
- SuperLiga Finalist: 2007
Beckham's Special Recognition Beyond Sport
- Named Officer in the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003
- Named United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) "Goodwill Ambassador" (2005–present)
- Voted "Britain's Greatest Ambassador" at the Greatest Britons 2007 awards
- Named as one of Time magazine's "Time 100 Heroes & Icons"
- Listed by Forbes as number 15 on their 2007 list of most influential celebrities, "The Celebrity 100"
- Listed by Arena as number 1 on their 2007 list of the 40 most influential men under the age of 40 in the UK
Beckham's Records
Beckham captained England 58 times during his tenure as England captain, 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).