David Beckham is an English former soccer player. He is the current owner of Inter Miami FC and co-owner of EFL League Two side Salford City alongside Manchester United’s Class of ‘92 players Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Ryan Giggs.
England international Beckham played for some of the biggest soccer clubs in the world, including Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and LA Galaxy. Beckham won the most international caps (115) for an English outfield player until Wayne Rooney overtook his record in 2016.
Beckham was renowned for his ability to score free-kicks and supply crosses from the right-hand side of midfield. In a 20-year career, Beckham won 19 trophies, including the UEFA Champions League and league titles in four countries (England, Spain, France and the United States), becoming the first British player to achieve such an accomplishment.
Beckham is celebrated around the world not only for his soccer achievements but also his business ventures. He also enjoys a high celebrity status alongside wife and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham.
Beckham was part of Manchester United's golden generation. A product of the club’s academy, the Class of '92 also featured the Neville brothers, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt and won the 1992 FA Youth Cup under the guidance of coach Eric Harrison.
Beckham made his senior debut for United in the same year, replacing Andrei Kanchelskis against Brighton in the League Cup. In January 1993, Beckham signed a professional contract with the club.
After continuing to progress in the youth and reserve ranks, Beckham made his first start for United in the League Cup against Port Vale in September 1994 before scoring his first Champions League goal during a 4-0 victory over Galatasaray in December.
In January, Beckham joined Preston North End on loan and spent the remainder of the 1994/95 campaign there. He is remembered for scoring direct from a corner for the Lancashire side.
In 1995/96, manager Alex Ferguson injected youth into his United team, which was criticised by TV pundit Alan Hansen after United lost 3-1 to Aston Villa on the opening day of the season. The player-turned-analyst said: "You can't win anything with kids."
United went on to prove him wrong by collecting the Premier League and FA Cup double, with Beckham scoring in the semi-final against Chelsea and assisting for Eric Cantona in the final.
Beckham scored eight goals and had eight assists from 39 games in all competitions.
Before the 1996/97 season, Beckham was handed the No. 10 jersey, a number previously worn by Mark Hughes. Beckham became a regular starter in the team and hit the headlines after scoring from the halfway line against Wimbledon.
Following an impressive season, which saw United retain the Premier League title, Beckham was voted PFA Young Player of the Year.
In 1998/99, Beckham was given the No. 7 jersey, a number which had previously been worn by iconic players such as George Best, Denis Law and Eric Cantona. It would prove to be a historic year for the club as they secured a historic treble (Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League).
With Roy Keane and Scholes suspended for the Champions League final against Bayern Munich, Beckham started in central midfield. With United trailing 1-0 in stoppage time, Beckham took both corners which led to goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the 91st and 93rd minutes, respectively.
Beckham finished second to Rivaldo in the European Player of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year awards.
David Beckham holds the Champions League trophy aloft
Beckham would win another four Premier League titles in five seasons but his relationship with Ferguson began to deteriorate due to his celebrity status outside of soccer.
Unable to retain his spot in the first team in 2002/03, speculation mounted about Beckham's future at the club after he turned up to training with stitches above his eye. It was believed Ferguson had launched a boot in the direction of Beckham after a defeat to Arsenal in the FA Cup.
Despite being pictured signing a Barcelona jersey for a fan with his name on the back of it, rumours continued to circulate about a move to Real Madrid. These intensified after Beckham scored two goals in United's Champions League Round-of-16 tie against the Spanish giants.
Despite winning the game 4-3, United were knocked out of the competition. Beckham was seen swapping shirts with Zinedine Zidane at the end of the game.
In the summer of 2003, Beckham joined Madrid for a fee of £33.75million.
Beckham had made 265 Premier League appearances for United, scoring 61 goals.
Beckham arrived at Madrid as the latest Galactico signing by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez. He was playing in a team full of household names, including Zidane, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo and Raul. He became just the third Englishman to represent Los Blancos after Laurie Cunningham and Steve McManaman.
Unable to wear the No. 7 jersey, the number favoured by Raul, Beckham picked No. 23 in honour of NBA legend Michael Jordan.
In August 2003, Beckham scored the final goal in a 3-0 victory in the 2003 Spanish Cup final return leg against Real Mallorca. Despite his strong start, which included five goals in his first 16 appearances in all competitions, Madrid finished fourth in La Liga, were eliminated in the Champions League quarterfinals and lost in the Copa del Rey final.
Between 2004 and 2006, Madrid continued their slump and this was reflected in the number of changes at the top, with Jose Antonio Camacho, Vanderlei Luxemburgo and Juan Ramon Lopez Caro hired and fired for their failings to win a major trophy. Due to the lack of success, Perez resigned as president in 2006.
Fabio Capello returned for his second spell as Madrid manager in 2006/07 and initially benched Beckham in favour of Jose Antonio Reyes. In January 2007, newly-elected president Ramon Calderon revealed the club would not be renewing Beckham's contract, with it set to expire in the summer of 2007. This allowed Beckham to talk to other clubs.
On January 11, Beckham confirmed he would join LA Galaxy. In the same week, Capello informed fans that Beckham would never play for the team again and would train with the reserves.
He later reversed his decision after a series of injuries and Beckham became pivotal in helping secure Madrid their first La Liga title since the Englishman had arrived. Madrid tried to block Beckham’s move to the Galaxy but were unsuccessful in their attempts to keep him at the club.
Beckham joined the Galaxy in 2007 on a five-year deal reportedly worth $32.5million. The high-profile signing of Beckham saw the club's revenue sky-rocket as they agreed a five-year $20million sponsorship deal with Herbalife as well as picking up an additional 11,000 season ticket holders. Upon his arrival, LA Galaxy had announced 250,000 pre-sales for Beckham’s No. 23 replica jersey.
Having joined LA Galaxy towards the end of their 2007 season, Beckham’s first full campaign in 2008 was an overall disappointment with a winless streak of seven games contributing towards the team missing out on the end-of-season playoffs. Ruud Gullit - the highest paid coach in MLS history at the time - resigned, while general manager Alexi Lalas was fired.
Prior to the 2009 MLS season, Beckham joined AC Milan on loan in the January and would remain there until June 30. Beckham played 20 games with a return of two goals in all competitions and revealed his desire to join Milan on a permanent deal so that he could remain in England's plans for the 2010 World Cup. However, Galaxy rejected his request.
Beckham would guide the Los Angeles-based side to the MLS Cup final after winning the Western Conference final but would taste defeat in a penalty shootout against Real Salt Lake. Beckham had a second loan spell at Milan but suffered an Achilles injury, forcing him to miss the 2010 World Cup.
In 2011 and 2012, Beckham's final two years at the Galaxy, he helped the club win back-to-back MLS Cups.
Beckham joined Paris Saint-Germain during the 2012/13 season and picked up a Ligue 1 medal after making 10 appearances. He became the first Englishman to win league titles in four countries.
Beckham retired at the end of the season.
Beckham and his sons Brooklyn, Cruz and Romeo celebrate LA Galaxy's 2012 MLS Cup win
In February 2014, MLS confirmed Beckham had exercised his option to buy an expansion team for $25million, something which was in his contract when he signed for LA Galaxy in 2007.
In September 2018, Beckham confirmed the club would be called Inter Miami. Their first marquee signing was former Real Madrid star Gonzalo Higuain, and they made their MLS debut in 2020 with a 1-0 defeat to Los Angeles FC.
Gordon Ramsey and David Beckham chat prior to an Inter Miami game
Beckham scored his first England goal, a 30-yard free kick, in the 1998 World Cup clash against Colombia in the group stages of the tournament.
However, he was sent off for kicking Diego Simeone in England's next game against Argentina. Ten-man England went on to draw the game and then lose in a penalty shootout as they were knocked out of the competition in the Round of 16.
Beckham's red card was seen by many as a key reason why England had failed at the World Cup and he received heavy criticism from the media and supporters for a number of years. The abuse continued during England's early exit from Euro 2000, where the team failed to progress beyond their group.
In November 2000, Beckham was named England captain and went on to play a crucial role in England's qualification for the 2002 World Cup.
This included leading the team in a 5-1 win over Germany and a last-minute trademark free-kick against Greece which ensured England's qualification for the tournament.
Beckham helped guide England to the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 2002 where they were beaten by eventual tournament winners Brazil. Beckham's winning penalty against Argentina in the group stages condemned the South Americans to an early exit from the tournament before the knockout rounds.
At Euro 2004, Beckham missed a penalty against France in the first group match, as well as another spot kick in a penalty shootout against Portugal in the quarterfinals. This resulted in England's elimination from the competition.
Beckham became only the fifth Englishman to be awarded his 100th cap when he was selected for a friendly with France by new England manager Fabio Capello in March 2008. He surpassed Bobby Moore's record (108) for most England appearances by an outfield player by coming on as a substitute in a friendly against Slovakia in March 2009.
Beckham's final game in an England shirt came in a 3-0 win over Belarus in October 2009. He was denied any further appearances by a ruptured Achilles which ruled him out of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
His England career ended with a total of 115 caps and 17 goals.
Beckham's spouse is Victoria Beckham and they have been married since 1999. Their celebrity status earned them the name of Posh and Becks.
Together they have four children: Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper Seven. Pop icon Elton John is godfather to Brooklyn and Romeo. All three of Beckham's sons have played in the Arsenal academy but were released.
David and Victoria Beckham
Beckham helped London secure the rights to host the 2012 Olympic Games and was seen during the 2008 Beijing ceremony alongside Jimmy Page and Leona Lewis during the handover segment.
In a rare interview about politics, Beckham expressed his opposition to the United Kingdom leaving the European Union in 2016.
In 2019, a statue was unveiled outside of LA Galaxy's stadium to celebrate his achievements for the club.
Beckham is worth $450million according to Celebrity Net Worth and $1billion when combined with Victoria's net worth, claims the Daily Mirror.
Beckham has been sponsored by Adidas throughout his sporting career and has been involved in some of their most recent commercials, including a promotional video called Play With No Fear, which features Beckham speaking about his experiences as an aspiring soccer player.
Outside of soccer, Beckham has featured in commercials for Gillette, Unicef, and H&M alongside comedian Kevin Hart.
Beckham has a range of fragrances including Homme, Instinct and Intimately. As well as being the face of Eyewear - a range of sunglasses - in 2014 Beckham launched his own whisky brand called Haig Club alongside agent Simon Fuller.
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