David Beckham signed with the youth squad of Manchester United in July of 1991, at the tender age of sixteen. It took him about five years of playing with the youth squad, reserves and on loan (with Preston North End) until he got permanently established in the first Man U team.
By the 1997/8 season, he attracted enough attention to get selected for England's World Cup team. At the World Cup finals Becks drew even more attention to himself by scoring from a free kicks against Colombia. His ejection (first of his career) in England's defeat by Argentina was later designated as the sole cause of his country's elimination.
David Beckham remained in the spotlight after marrying former Spice girl Victoria Adams in 1999. In the same year, David's career with Manchester reached its peak as his team won an unprecedented Treble of the Premiership, FA Cup and the European Cup.
Since the Treble, Beckham performed consistently at Manchester, winning the Premiership once more in 2000/2001. The Euro 2000, however, was a disaster for both him and England. David failed to leave his mark in all of England's three matches.

At the 2002 World Cup Becks was selected as team captain, but still wasn't able to decide the outcome of games in the same way as did with Manchester. By 2001, controversy grew around Beckham, overshadowing his generally solid but rarely spectacular performances on the pitch. David's new haircuts and unverified disputes with United manager Ferguson caused far more interest to the public than his display on the field. Drawn in by the English soccer player's popularity, Spanish giant Real Madrid decided to sign him for the $40 Million. During the summer of 2003, David moved to Spain in a transfer designed as a huge marketing scheme. Rumors claim that Real Madrid earned his transfer sum in a week of selling his official replica jersey.
As a player, David Beckham is a wide midfielder with a predominant right foot. He's extremely precise on curving the ball with the inside of his foot. That makes him very dangerous on crosses and long balls down the flank. Apart from this, he is rarely useful in defense and does not possess the quickness required for short passing in close quarters. He main abilities are typical of the British style of football, but from a global point of view are limited.

Quick Facts

Name	David Robert Joseph Beckham
Starting Number	#7
Born	2 May 1975 in Leytonstone, London
Nationality	British
Height	183 cm / 6 feet
Weight	75 kg / 165 pounds
Family Status	Married to wife Victoria with a son (Brooklyn)
Foot	Right
Teams	Preston North End (England) Manchester United (England) Real Madrid (Spain)
Nicknames	Becks Spice boy
Skills	Free kicks, crosses

Labels: David Beckham