David Beckham

Player Information
Full name: David Robert Joseph Beckham OBE
Date of birth: May 02, 1975
Birthplace: Leytonstone, England
Nationality: English
EU passport: Yes
Height: 180 cms
Weight: 74 kgs

Club: Milan
Position: Midfielder [R, C]
Squad Number: 0
Contract expires: June 2012 (on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy)
Previous clubs: Manchester United > Preston North End > Manchester United > (£25m) Real Madrid > Los Angeles Galaxy > Milan (loan)

International debut: September 1996, v Moldova
International Caps: 100
International Goals: 17
World Cups: France 1998, Korea/Japan 2002, Germany 2006

Awards

UEFA Champions League (1999)
Intercontinental Cup (1999)

English FA Premier League (1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003)
English FA Cup (1996, 1999)
Spanish Super Cup (2003)
Spanish La Liga (2007)

English League Young Footballer of the Year (1997)
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (1999)

Biography

1975
Born May 2 in Leytonstone, London.
1991
May: Signs for Manchester United as a trainee
1992
September: First team debut as a substitute in the Rumbelows Cup tie at Brighton and Hove Albion.
1994
Plays 5 matches on loan for Preston North End.
1995
April: Premier League debut at home to Leeds United.
1996
September 1: Made his England debut in a 3-0 away win over Moldova in a qualifier for the 1998 World Cup finals in Kishinev.
1997
May: Manchester United win another Premiership title and reach the semi final of the UCL. David is voted Young Player of the Year.
1998
June 26: Scored his first goal for England after 30 minutes of his 17th international, a trademark free kick against Colombia in the opening round of the World Cup in Lens, France.
June 30: In a second-round tie against Argentina in St Etienne, he was sent off two minutes into the second half for kicking Diego Simeone. He was largely vilified at home for his dismissal as it was seen as a contributory factor to England's loss on penalties after the match ended in a 2-2 draw. It was the first red card of David's career.
1999
March: Becomes a father to Brooklyn.
May: Manchester United completed the unprecedented Treble of Premiership, FA Cup and European Cup. Named UEFA MVP.
July: Marries Victoria Adams aka Posh Spice, a member of the Spice Girls.
2000
Another successful campaign as Manchester United wins again the Premiership, with David scoring 6 goals in 31 apps.
November: Peter Taylor gave him the greatest honour of his career in making him the captain of England, fulfilling his childhood dream.
2001
January: Sven-Goran Eriksson appointed him the permanent captain when he took over as England boss.
May: Manchester United won the Premiership title. He was given the English captain armband for the first time in a friendly in Italy.
October 6: At his home ground of Old Trafford, he scored one of the most famous goals of his career - a free kick deep into stoppage time that gave England a 2-2 draw against Greece and effectively sealed their place at the 2002 World Cup finals.
2002
June 2: He won his 50th cap in the opening game of the 2002 World Cup finals in Saitama but was replaced after 63 minutes of the 2-2 draw with Sweden.
June 7: In what he describes as one of the highlights of his England career, Beckham scored with a penalty to give England a 1-0 win over Argentina in the enclosed dome of Sapporo in their second group match. England would later be eliminated by Brazil.
2003
May: A stray boot, kicked in frustration by Sir Alex Ferguson, accidentally struck Becks on the forehead in the dressing room.
June: His era as a Man Utd player came to an end in the summer of 2003 when Florentino Perez took him to Real Madrid for 35 millions euros.
2004
June: Captains England at Euro 2004, where team loses in Quarter finals to host Portugal.
2005
October 8: Became the first England player to be sent off twice when he was dismissed against Austria in a 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory at Old Trafford.
2006
June 15: David Beckham was named Budweiser Man of the Match after England's 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago.
June 25: Scored to give England a 1-0 win over Ecuador in their second round match in Stuttgart to become the first English player to score a goal in three World Cup finals tournaments.
July: One day after England was eliminated by Portugal in the quarterfinals of the World Cup, Beckham stepped down as the team captain after holding the role for six years.
August 11: David Beckham's England career appears to be at an end after new manager Steve McClaren left him out of his squad.
September 16: David Beckham says he has a "burning desire" to prove new England coach Steve McClaren wrong after being dropped from the national team.
October 17: Beckham has joined Raul and Roberto Carlos in an exclusive club of three after making his 100th appearance in the UEFA Champions League at Steaua Bucuresti.
2007
January 11: David Beckham is set to leave Real Madrid at the end of the Spanish season and sign a five-year deal for U.S. side Los Angeles Galaxy worth $1 million a week, the biggest in world sport.
January 13: Coach Fabio Capello says Beckham won't play for Real Madrid again. "He is not going to play any more. He will practice, but he is not going to play. The player's decision is to go to Los Angeles. He has always been a great professional, but a player who has such a major contract with another team ... we cannot count on him," he said.
February 10: Beckham, who had not been selected for Real Madrid's six previous matches, made a scoring return as his team came from behind to beat 2-1 Real Sociedad in the Primera Division.
June 1: Marked his first appearance for his country in 11 months, and first under Steve McClaren's reign, by setting up skipper John Terry's 68th minute opener with a trademark free-kick only for Diego to equalize in injury-time in the 1-1 friendly draw against Brazil.
June 17: Helped Real Madrid to end their four-year trophy drought when they won the league title for the 30th time after a dramatic 3-1 comeback victory over Real Mallorca at the Bernabeu.
July 21: Made his long-awaited debut for Los Angeles Galaxy in front of a capacity crowd when he came on as a substitute in the 78th minute of the exhibition match against Chelsea. The match ended with a 1-0 victory for the English team.
August 15: Started his first game for the Galaxy, scored his first goal on a free kick in the 27th minute and Los Angeles beat D.C. United 2-0 in the SuperLiga semifinals. Beckham also captained the LA team and notched his first assist on the Galaxy's second goal.
August 30: Beckham suffered a sprained right knee and will be sidelined for "approximately six weeks," ending his fist MLS season.
2008
March 26: Became only the fifth player (after Billy Wright, Sir Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore and Peter Shilton) to win 100 caps for England when he featured in the 0-1 defeat against France in Paris.
April 3: Scored his first goal in Major League Soccer, his eighth-minute strike helping the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. Beckham collected a pass from Donovan outside the penalty area and slipped the ball past goalkeeper Joe Cannon to open the scoring. Beckham returned the favor for Donovan in the 37th minute, flicking the ball with his right foot to his hard-charging teammate, who lofted a shot over a rapidly-closing Cannon to put the Galaxy up 2-0..
April 7: Named Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 2.

FIFA World Cup™ Germany 2006 player's profile

David Beckham is one of the world’s most recognised sportsmen. Years of success on the field at Manchester United combined with a high-profile lifestyle off it had ensured him a rare level of wealth and celebrity even before he became part of Real Madrid’s galácticos project in 2003.
More than anything, however, Beckham is a dedicated professional, who takes immense pride from his role as England captain. His talent with a football was evident from an early age: as a boy he won a Bobby Charlton Soccer Schools National Skills competition and before long he had signed up for his favourite team, Manchester United.

Beckham was part of a remarkable United youth side containing fellow future England internationals Nicky Butt, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes that won the FA Youth Cup in 1992. Although it was not until the 1995/96 season, when he was 20, that he established himself in the first team at Old Trafford, the wait was worthwhile.

That campaign ended with him collecting Premiership and FA Cup winner’s medals and Beckham began the following season by scoring a memorable goal from the halfway line against Wimbledon. He ended it with the award for English football’s Young Player of the Year and in between made his England debut in a FIFA World Cup™ qualifier against Moldova.

Beckham had to wait until the 1998 finals in France to score his first international goal and fittingly it was a trademark free-kick in a 2-0 victory over Colombia. It is arguable that during the past decade nobody in world football has delivered better set-pieces than the Englishman, who is famed for his ability to provide perfect crosses from the right flank.

Unfortunately for Beckham, the 1998 FIFA World Cup ended in dismay as he was sent off for aiming a kick at Diego Simeone during England’s second-round loss to Argentina. That act of petulance made him a convenient scapegoat for the defeat, yet he won over his critics with his subsequent efforts in an England shirt.

After helping United complete a treble of Premiership, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League successes in 1999, Beckham received personal recognition as he finished second in both the FIFA World Player and European Footballer of the Year polls.

The next year he was named England captain for the first time for a friendly in Italy and he quickly grew into the role. Relishing the extra responsibility, Beckham sealed his country’s place in the 2002 FIFA World Cup with a spectacular late free-kick in their last qualifier against Greece and his excellent form in 2001 earned him second place in the FIFA World Player of the Year voting.

A foot injury meant Beckham faced a race against time to be fit for Korea/Japan but he eventually appeared in every match of England’s run to the quarter-finals in the Far East and enjoyed a moment to savour as his penalty brought a 1-0 victory over old rivals Argentina.

After collecting his sixth Premiership winner’s medal in 2003, Beckham said goodbye to English football for a new challenge at Real Madrid. However, he remains a fixture in the England team. He scored fine goals against Wales and Azerbaijan during Germany 2006 qualifying and completed 50 matches as national captain during last November’s friendly against Argentina.

Beckham will be 31 when the FIFA World Cup kicks off and will surpass the 90-cap mark during the tournament. But what he really wants is to end it by emulating another Londoner, Bobby Moore, and lifting world football’s greatest prize.

© 2001-2006 FIFA, All Rights Reserved

UEFA Champions League 2005-06 player's profile

Perhaps the most famous footballer in the world, David Beckham's main attributes are his long-range shooting ability - especially from free-kicks - accurate crossing from the right, and seemingly limitless reserves of energy.

National team
The summer after he made his debut against Moldova in September 1996, Beckham was vilified in England for his sending off in the FIFA World Cup match against Argentina. He featured at UEFA EURO 2000™ and was made captain in the build-up to the 2002 World Cup, scoring a brilliant added-time free-kick against Greece which earned England a place in Korea/Japan before exorcising his Argentina demons in Sapporo. Inspirational as England qualified for UEFA EURO 2004™, his reputation suffered as he missed penalties against France and Portugal in the finals. Returned to form in 2006 World Cup qualifying with excellent goals against Wales and Azerbaijan.

Club
A lifelong Manchester United FC fan despite being born in London, Beckham was part of United's much-vaunted 1992 FA Youth Cup-winning side. He established himself in the first team in the 1995/96 English double-winning season and a goal from the halfway line in the first game of the next campaign, at Wimbledon FC, marked his arrival. Beckham's efforts in the treble-winning team of 1998/99 that lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy won him second place in the FIFA World Player of the Year and European Player of the Year polls. His coruscating form in 2001 brought another second place in the FIFA poll and Beckham helped United to a sixth title during his time at the club in 2002/03, and scored twice in the Champions League loss to Real Madrid CF, the club he joined in the summer for €35m.

2003: Beckham quickly settled, relishing his new central role and winning over the fans with his range of passing and work ethic. Life was not quite so rosy in 2004, however, as Madrid failed to win a trophy.

2004/05: Started the season playing in the centre of midfield but by the end of the campaign, new coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo had switched Beckham to the right wing with pleasing results. His cannonball strike in the 5-0 defeat of UD Levante in November was a sight to behold.

Did you know?
David and Victoria Beckham have three sons, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz. David has all three boys' names tatooed on his body and also has Victoria's name imprinted on his arm in Hindi.

©uefa.com 1998-2006. All rights reserved.

UEFA EURO 2004™ player's profile

Simply the most famous footballer in the world, David Beckham's main attributes are his long-range shooting ability - especially from free-kicks - pin-point accurate crossing from the right, and seemingly limitless reserves of energy.

National team
The summer after he made his debut against Moldova in September 1997, Beckham was vilified in England for his sending off in the FIFA World Cup match against Argentina. He also featured at UEFA EURO 2000™ but matured considerably after being made captain in the build-up to the 2002 World Cup, scoring a brilliant added-time free-kick against Greece which earned England a place at Korea/Japan before exorcising his Argentina demons in Sapporo.

UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying
Again inspirational as England qualified automatically ahead of Turkey from Group 7. Beckham appeared in seven of the eight qualifiers, sitting out only the home victory against Slovakia, and scored five goals, including one penalty.

Club
A lifelong Manchester United FC fan despite being born in London, Beckham was part of United's much-vaunted 1992 FA Youth Cup-winning side. He established himself in the first team in the 1995/96 English double-winning season and a goal from the halfway line in the first game of the next campaign, at Wimbledon FC, marked his arrival as a star. Beckham's efforts in the treble-winning team of 1998/99 that lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy won him second place behind Rivaldo in the voting for FIFA World Player of the Year and European Player of the Year. And his coruscating form in 2001 brought another second place in the FIFA poll, behind Luis Figo.

2002: Beckham helped United to a sixth title during his time at the club. He also scored twice in the Champions League loss to Real Madrid CF, the club he was to join in the summer for €35m.

2003/4: Beckham quickly settled, relishing his new central role and winning over the fans with his range of passing and work ethic. Life was not quite so rosy in 2004 as Madrid failed to win a trophy.

Did you know?
David and Victoria Beckham have two sons, Brooklyn and Romeo. David has Brooklyn's name tattooed on his lower back and Romeo's across his shoulders. He also has Victoria's name imprinted on his arm in Hindi.

©uefa.com 1998-2004. All rights reserved.