David Beckham's Biography

Early Life

David Beckham was born David Robert Joseph Beckham on 2 May 1975 in Leytonstone, London.

Football Career in England

In his football career, David Beckham only played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Major League Soccer side L.A. Galaxy, for whom he made his debut as a substitute in a friendly against Chelsea in July 2007.

Although at the end of his footballing career he did briefly join Paris St Germain.

David Beckham joined Manchester United as a trainee on 8 July 1991. On 23 September 1992, Beckham made his first team debut as a substitute in the Coca Cola Cup tie against Brighton, but didn't sign as a professional until 22 January 1993. Beckham's debut in the league for Man United was in 1995 against Leeds. Beckham's first premiership goal came on 19 August of that year against Aston Villa.

His full international debut was for England against Moldova on 1 September 1996, but his first goal for his country did not come until a couple of years later, on 26 June 1998 against Columbia.

He first captained England on 15 November 2000 in the match against Italy. Beckham's appointment was made by caretaker manager, Peter Taylor.

David and Victoria Beckham

On 4 July 1999 he married Victoria Adams, better known as Posh Spice, in a ceremony at Luttrellstown Castle in Ireland.

According to David Beckham's autobiography, My Side, whenever anyone asked him which one of the Spice Girls he fancied, he replied, "The Posh one. The one with the bob, The one with the legs."

It was in November 1996 that David Beckham, referring to Posh Spice said to Gary Neville, "She's so beautiful. I just love everything about that girl, Gaz. You know, I've got to meet her."

But when David Beckham did meet Victoria he was quickly lost for words. He said hello and then could not think what to say next. The second meeting went better and Victoria gave David her parents' phone number. Victoria Adams, as Posh Spice then was, had a boyfriend called Stuart.

It wasn't long, however, before David and Victoria Beckham were an item. Brooklyn Beckham was born on 4 March 1999 and a few months later, on 4 July 1999 David Robert Joseph Beckham married Victoria Caroline Adams.

In 2004, David Beckham was accused of having an affair with his personal assistant, Rebecca Loos and there were reports that David and Victoria's marriage was rocky, but David responded: "The simple truth is that I am very happily married, have a wonderful wife and two very special kids.

In 2005, The News of the World published an interview with the Beckhams' former nanny, Abbie Gibson, who gave her slant on how unhappy Victoria Beckham was over the alleged Rebecca Loos affair.

Gibson also stated that she believed Victoria's former beautician, Danielle Heath's claim that she and David Beckham went to bed but did not have full sex.

David has Victoria's name in Hindi tattooed on his arm and Victoria Beckham has "DB" tattooed on her wrist.

In September 2006, Victoria Beckham rejected reports that she and David are planning a fourth child right now: "I have enough on my hands with three boys. The amount of testosterone in my house is unbelievable. Maybe in a year or two years' time we'll think about it, but there's too much happening right now."

Just before the Beckhams arrival in USA on July 12, 2007, Victoria Beckham told reporters about the Rebecca Loos incident: "I'm not going to lie. It was a really tough time. "David and I got through it together. No one said marriage was going to be easy. "Yes, there have been bumps along the road. "But now we've come out stronger and happier. It's even better now than when we were first married. "After all these years, we can just come home and have a laugh."

On 4 July 2009 the Beckhams had been married for ten years and the BBC carried a review of David and Victoria Beckham's first ten years of marriage.

David Beckham's children

David and Victoria have three sons: Brooklyn Beckham, who was born on 4 March 1999, Romeo Beckham, who was born on 1 September 2002, and Cruz Beckham, who was born on 20 February 2005.

they also have a daughter. In July 2011, Victoria and David Beckham had a baby daughter, Harper Seven.

The Real Madrid Years

On 13 June 2003 Beckham was awarded the OBE.

On 1 July 2003 David Beckham joined Real Madrid.

On 25 June 2006 with a stunning free-kick from 30 yards in the last 16 of the World Cup match against Ecuador, David Beckham became the first England player to score at three World Cups.

However, the quarter-finals of the World Cup saw England go out on penalties to Portugal and the following day David Beckham announced that he was standing down as England captain.

On 11 August 2006, new England coach Steve McClaren announced his squad for the friendly against Greece and he omitted David Beckham - leading many to believe that Beckham's 94 England caps would be his final total.

However, Beckham's performances for Real Madrid forced McClaren to recall him to the national side.

On 26 March 2008, Fabio Capello, the new England manager, recalled David Beckham for his 100th cap in an England friendly against France.

David Beckham became the fifth player to reach 100 England caps, after Billy Wright, Sir Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore and Peter Shilton.

In February 2009, David Beckham equalled Bobby Moore's record of 108 caps for an outfield player.

In March 2009, David Beckham overtook Bobby Moore's record, when he came on as substitute in a friendly against Slovakia, thereby winning his 109th cap.

L A Galaxy

In November 2011, LA Galaxy beat Houston Dynamo 1-0 in the MLS Cup final. Many of the US newspapers saw it as a personal triumph for David Beckham.

In January 2012, in spite of speculation that he would join Paris St Germain, David Beckham signed a new two-year deal to stay at LA Galaxy.

However, in November 2012, he announced that he would leave Los Angeles Galaxy after the end of season MLS Cup final on 1 December.

In January 2013, it was announced that Beckham had signed with Paris St-Germain and that his salary would be going to a children's charity.

On 16 May 2013, Beckham announced he was retiring from playing professional football at the end of the season.

Beckham after L A Galaxy

On 21 June 2016, David Beckham issued a statement declaring his support for the Remain campaign in the forthcoming UK referendum on whether to stay in the European Union, writing:

"We live in a vibrant and connected world where together as a people we are strong. For our children and their children we should be facing the problems of the world together and not alone."

On 1 March 2020, Beckham's Inter Miami team were beaten by Los Angeles FC in Miami's first Major League Soccer game.

Beckham was one of the owners as well as president of soccer operations at Inter Miami.

David Beckham on The Graham Norton Show

David Beckham and Tattoos

David Beckham hit the headlines in 2004, regarding his tattoos. The UK's tabloids did not approve of the four-by-six-inch winged cross across the back of Beckham's neck. Reportedly his ninth tattoo. The Sun's fashion editor, Erica Davies, said: "You've gone from fab to yob."

Beckham also has tattoos of his sons, Brooklyn and Romeo, and one of his wife Victoria's name in Hindi. He also has the number seven in Roman numerals, a guardian angel across his back and a Michelangelo angel on his right arm.

In his autobiography, David Beckham: My Side, he reveals his thoughts on tattoos: "I like the feeling that those two boys [Brooklyn and Romeo] are with me even when I'm away from home. And not just in my heart. I had their names tattooed on my back after each one was born. There's a guardian angel there, too, looking after them both. My dad had three tattoos of his own and so the idea has been with me since I was a kid .... "The idea came to me much later, a little while after Brooklyn was born. I was talking to Mel B and her then-husband, Jimmy Gulzar, and the subject of tattoos came up. I ended up going to this Dutch guy who'd done all of Jimmy's. I'd finally realised what I wanted a tattoo to represent. Mine are all about the people in my life, my wife and sons, who I want with me always. When you see me, you see the tattoos. You see an expression of how I feel about Victoria and the boys. They're part of me."

A lot of David Beckham's tattoos were drawn by Louis Molloy including the name of Beckham's third son Cruz and three cherubs on the inside of his biceps to represent each of his children. Victoria Beckham also has tattoos drawn by Molloy including five stars on the base of her back and David Beckham's initials on her wrist.