Name David Beckham

Birth name David Robert Joseph Beckham

Date of birth 2 May 1975

Star sign Taurus

Birthplace Leytonstone, London, UK

Height 6ft

Eye colour Hazel

Marriages Victoria Adams, 4 July 1999

Children Brooklyn Joseph Beckham, born 4 March 1999; Romeo James Beckham, born 1 September 2002; Cruz David Beckham, born 20 February 2005

Biography

Famously nicknamed ‘Golden Balls’ by his wife Victoria, David Beckham is a football superstar, global mega brand, fashion icon and UN ambassador.

Born in Leytonstone, London, David was a football-mad youngster who joined Manchester United as a youth trainee in 1991 and made his first-team debut a year later, aged just 17.

His profile rocketed off the pitch as well as on it when, in 1997, he started dating Spice Girls pop star Victoria Adams – reportedly after seeing the catsuit-clad singer in the video for Say You’ll Be There. The couple – who were dubbed ‘Posh and Becks’ by the media – married in a lavish ceremony in Ireland in 1999 and became the celebrity couple of the new millennium.

David’s relationship with Victoria meant he was making headlines beyond the back pages. From his ever-changing hairstyles and new tattoos to the Jean Paul Gaultier sarong he was famously snapped wearing in 1998, he developed a reputation for being style-conscious and this helped him bag a string of lucrative deals with Gillette, Pepsi and Motorola.

Despite enjoying success with Manchester United and England, his popularity dipped when he was sent off against Argentina during the 1998 World Cup for kicking an opponent. Angry fans blamed David for England’s early exit and hung an effigy of him outside a London pub. But his famous free kicks – which inspired the film, Bend It Like Beckham (2002) – and hard-working displays won back the public and he bagged his 100th England cap in March 2008.

Despite tabloid allegations in 2004 that he had had an affair with former personal assistant Rebecca Loos, David has maintained his image as a devoted family man and dad to Brooklyn (born 1999), Romeo (2002) and Cruz (2005).

In July 2003 David joined Spanish side Real Madrid where he stayed for four years before moving to US Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy, becoming the highest-paid player in the history of the league. A regular on the LA celebrity circuit, David cemented his pin-up status when he posed in his underwear for a raunchy Armani advertising campaign. But the lad from Leytonstone – who was given an OBE in 2003 – does his bit for charity, too, including work for UNICEF.

Quotes

‘I have eaten a bull’s ear. Grim? No – lovely actually.’ (Beckham-magazine, January 2006)

‘I like Victoria for herself, not for nothing else. I’d like her if she worked in Tesco.’ (Internet Movie Database)

‘I have got this obsessive compulsive disorder where I have to have everything in a straight line or everything has to be in pairs.’ (Daily Mail, 3 April 2006)

‘I always wear a long-sleeved shirt for games. Whether it’s hot... people don’t understand why I do it in Spain because sometimes it’s 39 degrees and I’m wearing a long-sleeved shirt and they don’t understand it.’ (BBC.co.uk, 23 September 2006)

‘Hair is very important when it comes to football, you see. With so many girls, cameras and fans around it’s really important to maintain a good-looking head.’ (fonzter.com, 3 July 2006)