David Beckham is undoubtedly the most popular footballing face in the world. A great servant for England over the years, Becks has won the hearts of millions of fans around the world with his amazing work-ethic, classy free kicks and his looks – most notably his hairstyles which became a rage. Let’s take a look at 12 Unknown facts about the former Manchester United and Real Madrid winger.
1. Beckham was arguably the best “dead ball” striker in the game. confounding goalkeepers around the globe with his legendary, curving free kicks – the most significant of which came against Greece in the dying seconds of the game in a WC qualifier to secure England’s qualification in the 2002 World Cup. His talents led to a movie being named after him – ‘Bend it like Beckham’ tells the stories of two teeange girls who share an affection for football, a love their families don’t share.
2. Beckham was a boyhood Manchester United fan and served as a United mascot for a game against West Ham in 1986. Six years later, Beckham made his first ever appearance for Manchester United in a game against Brighton replacing Andre Kanchelskis on the right wing.
3. Beckham won the Bobby Charlton Soccer Skills award at the tender age of 11 and, during a two-year spell in which he represented Brimsdown Rovers’ youth team, he was named the Under-15 Player of the Year in 1990. Beckham signed a youth trainee contract with United on July 8, 1991 – the beginning of what turned out to be the most glorious years of his footballing journey.
4. In 1997, Beckham was voted the Professional Footballers’ Association Young Player of the Year. He has also twice been runner-up for FIFA’s much coveted World Player of the Year.
5. Football’s favorite pin-up boy married pin-thin Victoria “Posh Spice” Adams in an extravagant wedding on July 4, 1999 at Luttrellstown Castle, near Dublin, Ireland. Beckham’s friend and Manchester United teammate Gary Neville was the best man. 437 staff were employed for the wedding reception, which cost the Beckhams a cool £500,000. Later that year, Becks and Victoria bought a home near London worth a handsome $15 million, dubbed “Beckingham Palace”.
6. Beckham has always represented England with a sense of pride, but the former LA Galaxy star became a hate figure of sorts when he was sent off for kicking out at Argentina’s Diego Simione, an incident which cost England the match on penalties. The Daily Mirror, a tabloid in England, printed a dartboard with a picture of Beckham centred on the bull’s-eye. The abuse peaked when England exited from Euro 2000 after a 3-2 loss at the hands of Portugal, despite Beckham setting up both English goals. Beckham’s response? A one-figure gesture.
7. Beckham’s transition from hero to villain occured in England’s 2-2 draw with Greece in a qualifying match for the 2002 World Cup. Beckham put in an inspiring performance as he single handedly took England into the World Cup with a curling strike on an injury-time free kick. Beckham was soon named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2001.
8. Brand Beckham transcends much further than the perimeter of the football pitch. You’ve no doubt seen the posters, which are plastered on department stores everywhere. Beckham launched his own cologne, called Instinct Cologne by Coty, which fraganceX.com describes as a “masculine, sexy, exceptional fragrance for the modern man.”
9. In 2006, David Beckham became the first English player to score in three World Cups. He scored in the Round of 16 against Ecuador. Guess how? Ofcourse. A free kick sailing into the top corner.
10. The English star signed a bumper five-year contract worth $250 million with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy in January 2007, making him the highest paid player in the history of the league. Woah, Bank it like Beckham eh?
11. Beckham is undoubtedly the most famous athlete on the planet. He was Google’s most searched of all sports topics in 2003 and 2004 – a period in which he made his much talked about move from Manchester United to Real Madrid. In Baghdad, as the bronze statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled in Firdos Square in 2003, a young boy stomping on its head was wearing a Manchester United jersey with Beckham’s iconic No. 7 emblazoned on it. A gold covered bronze statue of Beckham is present in a Buddhist Temple in Thailand.
12. No article on David Beckham would be complete without a mention of all the countless hair styles the former England captain sported during a glittering career. Blonde highlights, skinhead, a mohawk, boy band look, another skinhead, a longer mohawk, classic curtains, the mullet, the cock-atoo among many others.
