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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. That's allowed him to pick up some nice toys as well. Beckham now owns seven cars, including a custom built Ferrari, a Porshe 911, a Range Rover, and a Jaguar. When David Beckham's not scoring goals for his team, he hangs out with his wife, Victoria Adams (Posh Spice of the Spice Girls) and their sons Brooklyn (born in March 1999,) and Romeo, (born in September, 2002. They also have two dogs named Snoop and Puffy (after Beckham's favorite rappers, Puff Daddy and Snoop Dog). So between scoring goals, making music and cleaning up after their son and dogs, this family keeps very busy.
DAVID THE PLAYER
David Beckham & Michael Owen
2002 Topps
Soccer can be a subtle sport, but it's not hard to see David’s considerable skills. When he gains control of the ball and surveys the field, the defense tenses and his teammates get an extra hop in their step. Everyone knows that he can deliver a pass virtually anywhere on the field, and is quite capable of pressing the action himself.
Whether crossing or shooting, David’s long-distance heroics come courtesy of his devastating ball-striking ability. Soccer clubs put radar guns on kicks the way baseball scouts clock pitches, and David’s muscular right leg has generated eye-popping speeds. Many of his kicks approach 100 mph, which is no fun for a goalkeeper or defender whose job it is to stand in its way.
This has much to do with his efficiency with free kicks. David’s sublime talent for making round objects bend while airborne would have a diminished effect were it not for the fact that everyone on the field freezes for a milisecond at the instant he puts boot to ball. An opponent expecting a screamer has less time to react to a Beckham bender, while a keeper who assumes a curling shot is on the way risks the humiliation of letting in an untouched goal.
David, in fact, was the lone positive during Real’s 2003-04 season. Coming off a league championship the previous year, the club had a healthy lead early in the season but went into a skid defensively and finished a disappointing fourth. After a terrible showing in the Champions League—in which they were defeated by AS Monaco—Real lost in the Copa de Rey final against Real Zaragoza. The dismal year cost head coach Carlos Quieroz his job.
While David was solid on the pitch for Real, he encountered huge problems outside the lines. In April of 2004, his former personal assistant, Rebecca Loos, claimed the two had an affair during his first few months in Spain. Then, another woman contended that he seduced her in 2001 while Manchester United was on an Asian tour.
The alleged scandals affected David. He used to stop and sign autographs after matches and loved to pose for the paparazzi. Now he was racing away from fans and media in his Aston Martin after matches. His status as the world’s most popular footballer was clearly in jeopardy.
At first, David violently refuted the reports, but eventually backed off from this stance.
Despite the bad publicity, the endorsements kept coming. In May, Gillette announced David as the company's new spokesman. Three months prior, Adidas introduced its new David Beckham logo, much in the mold of Nike's old Jordan silhouette.
Through it all, it was believed that David would leave Spain, opting to return to England to be with his wife and children. After discussing the situation with Victoria, he decided to remain with Real Madrid.
David's next challenge was as the English captain during Euro Cup 2004. After defeating France 2-1, England fell to Portugal in a quarterfinal shootout. In each game, David failed to convert a penalty kick. His first attempt was thwarted by the French goalkeeper, while his second soared over the crossbar and landed about 20 rows up.
That fall, David hit another bump in the road when he was sent off for hammering Ben Thatcher in a match against Wales. Having previously received a yellow card and also nursing an injury, he deliberately committed the foul so that he would be banned from the following game—which he would have missed anyway because of the injury. He later apologized for his questionable judgment.
Quieroz was replaced by former Real star Jose Antonio Camacho, who started the new season with defensive-minded newcomers Walter Samuel and Jonathan Woodgate. The man the fans wanted was Patrick Vieira, the star midfielder, but the team couldn’t swing a deal. Striker Samuel Eto'o was also on the market, but Real opted to pursue Liverpool’s Michael Owen, and he joined the team in time for the 2004-05 campaign.
David’s second season with real Madrid wasn’t much better than his first. He played unevenly most of the year and Real finished a distant second. Owen was a non-factor, while Eto'o had a great year for Barcelona, which finished first in the Liga. Camacho didn’t even survive the year. He stepped down and was eventually replaced by Vanderlei Luxemburgo, who did a decent job the rest of the way. Real Madrid lasted until the quarterfinals of the 2005 Champions League.
David did not find success playing for England, either. In an October match against Austria, he became the first English captain to be sent off twice.
Real Madrid's stunning decline continued in 2005-06, despite the addition of Sergio Ramos, Julio Baptista and Brazilian star Robinho. Luxemburgo resigned and the team revived briefly, but once again finished second to FC Barcelona.
World Cup 2006 promised to provide David with a much-needed upswing. England was among the teams considered to be potential champions and he was still the captain. In the opening match against Paraguay, his free kick led to an own goal that decided the game. Against Trinidad and Tobago, David set up the first goal late in the contest with a beautiful cross, and assisted on the second goal in a 2-0 victory. He was named Man of the Match. Despite these heroics, he was singled out for criticism in his next match, when he was unable to dribble past defenders against Sweden.
Against Ecuador in the first match of the final round, David drilled a free kick in the 59th minute for a 1-0 victory and a berth in the round of eight. This despite a pregame illness that left_inner him dehydrated and sick on the sidelines. In England's next match, against Portugal, he was called to the sideline shortly after the half. He just couldn't go on, and as the match ground to a 0-0 conclusion, he was moved to tears. Portugal prevailed on kicks to send the Brits home. The next day, David called a news conference to announce that he was stepping down as team captain.
A few weeks later, David, now 31, was dropped from the national team.
Coach Steve McClaren said he might be recalled in future. But when injuries presented this very opportunity, David did not get the call.
Meanwhile, Fabio Capello had taken over Real Madrid's coaching duties for the 2006-07 season. It soon became apparent that he was not a David Beckham fan either. David started a couple of games but was employed mostly as a sub.
In his last year of his mega-contract, David's future seemed clouded. Club president Ramon Calderon dropped hints that he might retire, prompting Arsenal, Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur to state that they would gladly take him during FIFA's January transfer period. Maccabi Netanya, an Israeli club, actually put in a request for David. Meanwhile, news reports suggested that active talks were being held with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.
On January 10th, Real Madrid's GM Predrag Mijatovic´ revealed that the club would not be extending David's contract. Soon after, it was announced that David would join the Galaxy in July, after Real Madrid's final game.
David's five-year deal with LA included salary, profit-sharing and endorsement money that could total $50 million a year.
The measure of a star can be taken in many ways. Some say what one accomplishes on the field should speak for itself, while others maintain that penetrating deep into popular culture is the only way to transcend one's sport. However you look at it, David has found something a good bit beyond mere stardom. His new Hollywood address is likely to propel him to even greater heights.
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