David Beckham Profile
If one name more than any other conjures up the image of a true sporting icon of our times, then its that of David Beckham. Polarising opinion quite like nobody else before or after, if there's one thing that David Beckham has successfully managed throughout his high profile footballing career to date, then it's being the topic of much debate. Be it on or off the field of play, Becks fuels exchanges between sports fans and celebrity followers in a way no other global appeal-encompassing, contemporary sports star could even touch. Transgressing football pretty much as soon as he hooked up with then Spice Girl, Victoria Adams, it wasn't long before the Beckham's lifestyle enveloped popular culture and the burgeoning celebrity merry-go-around, immediately creating and ultimately endorsing the Beckham brand that constructed itself around them.
Whilst at times – especially during the somewhat turbulent last few months at Manchester United under utilitarian manager, Sir Alex Ferguson – David Beckham's fondness for the spotlight risked affecting his grasp of the beautiful games itself, the England midfielder has always carved out the right balance between the mainstay of his career and the extra-curricular - yet hugely lucrative – distractions that have sprung up around him over the years. And dealt admirably with the media feeding frenzy that his every action provoked whether invited or not. Aside from being a Football role model to a generation of kids (and bigger kids who should know better), David Beckham has proved himself to be something of a fashion icon too. Whether this was by design (and therefore spearheaded by his stylish wife and designer clothes-horse, Victoria) or by accident (it's well documented that the man himself has always upheld a strong interest in men's fashion from an early age) we'll never know, but one thing is for sure, Team Beckham certainly know how to put on a show wherever they pitch up.
Beckham's Celebrity Lifestyle Has Hampered His Successful Football Career For England, Manchester United, Real Madrid Or LA Galaxy
His ever-changing and oft-elaborate hairstyles have been aped by millions of young boys and men, whilst his seeming ability to carry off even a sarong and open-toes sandals with much aplomb ensured Beckham's ascension to many style bibles that the rest of us subscribed to at will. From floppy fringes and highlights to shaved heads, mohawks, bleached blonde ponytails, corn-rows and alice-bands, David Beckham has sported them all during his tenure in the public eye. Tantamount to being single-handedly responsible for spawning a new breed of man – the metrosexual – Becks has made it socially and almost routinely acceptable for men to spend as much time in front of the mirror as their wives and girlfriends (another modern footballing-cum-celebrity phenomena the Beckhams are credited to have indirectly invented) to make the body even more beautiful. Beckham's face and most of his well-honed torso have stared back at us from massive billboards advertising everything from designer Y-fronts and sunglasses to own-brand aftershaves and various personal male grooming products, yet he's always been spared violent ridicule or determined character assignation thanks to Golden Balls delivering the goods where and when it mattered most.
But it's the game of football that David Robert Joseph Beckham has stamped his indelible mark on most and for that reason we profile him here. Despite being pilloried by fans of any Premier League football team other than his beloved Manchester United in the direct aftermath of his needless sending off in the 1998 World Cup Finals in France (when he acted in a petulant manner to Diego Simeone's wind-up that effectively cost England the game and signalled the end of the national team's participation in the competition) and the subsequent hate campaign (burning effigies of the player hung outside pubs) set in motion at football grounds across England on his return the following season, David Beckham has risen above every compromising situation he has found himself in since his being thrust on the footballing scene in 1996. Add to this what could have meant a public relations disaster after unfounded allegations suggesting infidelity on David's part whilst playing for Real Madrid became sensationalised public knowledge, and Beckham's football career could have hit the buffers a long time ago, were it not for his aptitude for constantly displaying professionalism in the face of adversity coupled with the honest graft that came as second nature to him so as to counter ugly claims that sought to damage both his public image and important family life.
David Beckham Formed Part Of Famous Real Madrid 'Galacticos', Alongside Figo, Zidane, Raul And Roberto Carlos
It's that good old fashioned hard work, dedication to what others might look upon as a hopeless cause and gritty application that has become Beckham's trademark, as countless clubs have acknowledged the extra hours he's always put in on respective training grounds long after team mates have departed. Honing the signature, defence-splitting free kicks and inch-perfect cross-field passes that have served him well as the number one weapon in his offensive arsenal from the beginning of his career. We remember the photos of Becks training alone during a difficult spell whilst as Real Madrid where – after being dropped from the first team – plugged away at his fitness above and beyond the call of duty to wrangle his way back where he belonged; in a team of Galacticos including Zinedine Zidane, Raul, Roberto Carlos and Louis Figo; arguably the best players on the planet at that time.
Again both David Beckham fans and detractors witnessed his mental strength and physical agility overcoming considerable odds when his lowest football hour came in 2006, the decision by (then) new England manager, Steve McLaren to drop one of the most charismatic and influential players ever to pull on the number 7 shirt for his country from not only the national team, but the squad too. After England's soul-destroying defeat at the hands of Portugal in the 2006 World Cup, and with the news that the manager who had supported Beckham 100% and who'd lead them collectively to the finals – Sven-Goran Eriksson – was set to step down and let his deputy take the reigns, Beckham did what he thought the honourable thing, and announced he was to relinquish the England captaincy so that manager-elect McLaren could start afresh.
Beckham Bounced Back After Shock England Drop To Spearhead 2010 World Cup Finals Qualifications Against All Odds
Naturally no-one – Becks least of all - expected McLaren's changes to be so sweeping and wholesale in as much as removing their dependable captain from the England equation so comprehensively, yet on hearing the news first hand he vowed to continue to fight to regain a place in future England squads; therein not taking the measures of calling time on his international career at that juncture, having skippered the national team no fewer than on 58 occasions since he made his début as a first team England football player as a 21-year old against Moldova in a World Cup Football qualifier in September 1996.
In terms of international highlights up until that stage, many were inclined to agree that Beckham's stunning last-minute free kick against Greece to level the score at 2 – 2 in a crucial 2002 World Cup qualifier that essentially ensured England were on the plane to the following summer's finals in Korea and Japan, provided that moment of greatness for which he'll best be remembered when his playing days finally reach an end. Yet it's a much what he does off the field than on it as his career heads towards its twilight that he should be equally remembered. Fighting his way back into the England reckoning under McClaren took some doing for a player on the wrong side of 30, especially when up against a batch of exciting new prospects ready to make his number 7 shirt their own in his enforced absence from the national set-up; the likes of Shaun Wright-Phillips, Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon and his heir apparent according to many in the know, David Bentley.
Many might have forgotten the exact moment that David Beckham came to national prominence, yet one person who probably had nightmares about it for years afterwards was goalkeeper Neil Sullivan. The Wimbledon FC shot-stopper who was famously lobbed from the half-way line by the precocious, fledgling right boot of David Beckham just after the restart of Manchester United's tie with the now-disbanded London side after half-time during the 1996-1997 Premier League campaign. And as we all now know, the rest is history.
Beckham Went From Zero To Hero For England On His Way To Record-Breaking Cap Haul
His international footballing renaissance under his former boss at Real Madrid, Fabio Capello is set to endure all the way to the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa, meaning that his England caps collection will grow even further. Of course his deployment in games these days are far more sporadic and tactical than ever before, as the player himself would be the first to concur that his athleticism isn't quite what it was. That said though, Beckham's game was never about blinding pace down the flanks, as his wings were justifiably gained courtesy of accuracy of crosses into opposition boxes and deftly delivered free kicks that would either pirouette into the top corner themselves or be precisely placed on the head of an England goalscorer to apply the finishing touches to. Beckham's under no illusion that his England appearance now on will be fleeting cameos, and that his vastly experienced presence will be utilised if and when it's needed most in a particular game; yet his enduring involvement as he heads toward a record-breaking fourth consecutive World Cup finals appearance is what really sets Beckham apart from the class of 1998.
Many critics will cite Beckham's love of the celebrity circuit as a thorn in his otherwise exemplary side, however how many other contemporary players would have kept this aspect of the circus that flared up around him after the wonder goal at a safe distance? An occasionally suspect temperament that's never been far from the polished surface and the spurious accusations of putting his country before the needs of his club are amongst other occupational hazards that Beckham has taken in his stride over the years and elements of the genuine David Beckham that have been kicked and bandied around on the rare occasion he's been down, yet haven't stood in his way of amassing some 115 (and counting) caps for England and in doing so writing himself another chapter in modern footballing history.
As Beckham's football career winds down, he's put more and more emphasis, focus – and not to mention considerable time and personal fortune – into his bespoke football schools run for kids, the David Beckham Football Academy. Having attended the Bobby Charlton Soccer School during his own formative years, the experience led him to set-up his own school of excellence to groom future generations of footballers who otherwise might not get the opportunity to shine and progress into the professional game either here in the UK or further afield.
