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
Foot	Right
Teams	Preston North End (England) Manchester United (England) Real Madrid (Spain) LA Galaxy (USA)
Nicknames	Becks Spice boy
Skills	Free kicks, crosses

David Beckham signed with the youth squad of Manchester United in July of 1991, at the age of sixteen. It took him about five years of playing on the youth squad, the reserves and on loan with Preston North End until he made it into the first team.

By the 1997/1998 season, Beckham was selected for England’s World Cup team. In the World Cup, Becks gained attention by scoring a memorable free kicks against Colombia. His ejection (first of his career) in the match versus Argentina is often pointed as the reason for England’s defeat and elimination.

David Beckham entered the spotlight after marrying former “Spice Girl” Victoria Adams in 1999. In the same year, David’s club career reached its peak as Manchester won an unprecedented Treble of the Premiership, FA Cup and the European Cup. After the Treble, Beckham continued to perform well with Manchester, winning the Premiership once more in 2000/2001. Euro 2000 however, was a disaster for both Beckham and England. He failed to leave his mark and England exited the tournament after three matches.

In World Cup 2002, Beckham was selected team captain for England. England played well in the tournament, but was eliminated by Brazil in the quarterfinals. By this point, there was growing controversy, overshadowing Beckham’s solid but rarely spectacular performances on the pitch. Beckham’s new haircuts and unverified disputes with United manager Ferguson attracted far more interest from the public than his playing ability. In the summer of 2003, Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid decided to sign Beckham for $40 Million. Rumors claim that Real Madrid earned the transfer sum in a week of selling Beckham replica shirts.

As a player, David Beckham is an outside midfielder with a predominant right foot. He is extremely precise when curving the ball which makes him very dangerous on free kicks, crosses and long passes down the flank.