david beckham

David Robert Joseph Beckham was born on May 2, 1975, in Leytonstone, a small town just a short drive northeast of London. The only son of David (known to everyone as "Ted") and Sandra Beckham, he was sandwiched between two girls, Lynne and Joanne. Though Ted and Sandra both worked—he as a gas fitter's assistant and she as a hairdresser—they made sure to set aside lots of quality time to spend with their children.

Leytonstone—blue collar through and through—was soccer-crazy, much like the rest of England. Ted caught the bug as a young boy, and dreamed of playing professionally. Though his career fizzled before he made it to the big time, he was a good player who stayed active in local leagues. The elder Beckham often brought David to his matches. The boy begged to join the games, and finally got his chance when he reached his teen years.

A diehard fan of Manchester United, David was completely obsessed with soccer. Buying birthday and Christmas gifts for him was simple. A soccer ball or jersey from his favorite team, or a poster of the players he idolized—Steve Bruce, Gordon Strachan and Bryan Robson—was all he ever wanted. On weekends David and his family often visited Ted's mom and dad. David's grandfather was a loyal supporter of Man-U’s longtime rival, Arsenal. He would recount the heroic exploits of stars like Chalrie Buchan and Alex James, but Ted forbid his son to root for Arsenal. Though grandpa Beckham tried his best to sway the boy, David stuck with United.

It was rare to see David without a soccer ball as a child. A talented all-around athlete, he played other sports, including rounders, baseball, basketball and rugby, but none could come close to his first love. He was also a Boy Scout (though mostly because soccer was one of the chief activites). After school and on weekends, David either headed to the park for a pick-up game or suited up for a youth-league match. At age eight, he joined the Ridgeway Rovers of the Enfield District League, and quickly developed into the club's most talentes scorer. His footwork, anticipation and ability to control the action were already evident at this age.

Three years later, David participated in Bobby Charlton's Soccer Skills Tournament (a nationwide competition akin to "Punt, Pass & Kick” in the U.S.). The 11-year-old won the event with the highest score ever. Included among his prizes was a two-week trip with Terry Venables' Barcelona side at the Nou Camp.

Ted had a lot to do with David's burgeoning talent. He worked out with his son regularly, teaching him the nuances of dribbling, passing, crossing and shooting. A tireless student, David did everything well on the pitch, but his powerful right leg attracted the most attention. He could propel the ball at speeds comparable to many adult players, and had a particular gift for making his shots curl in the air. This caused defenders to lean the wrong way, and made goalkeepers commit too soon. Scoring long, spectacular goals became his trademark.

David was an intelligent kid, but more often than not school took a backseat to soccer. Instead of studying, David preferred to watch "Grandstand" or "Match of the Day." That's not to say he was a slacker. David took lots of odd jobs to earn extra money. Among his more memorable gigs was collecting empty glasses at the Walthamstow dog track.

Ted and Sandra kept their son in line by using his love of soccer as both prod and punishment. If he misbehaved, they thought nothing of holding him out of practice. There was nothing he hated more.

As David grew older, he became the subject of an intense recruiting war between various soccer interests. He played for the Essex Schools and Leyton Orient, and attended Tottenham Hotspur's School of Excellence. Professional clubs tried to lure him with various gifts—including free tickets to matches (which David and his parents never turned down). But the red and white of Manchester was always in his blood. Representatives from United first came knocking after David's 12th birthday. Every summer after that he went to Manchester for workouts. In July of 1991, on the advice of Bobby Charlton, the club signed the 16-year-old as a trainee.

It didn't take long for David to get his feet wet with United. Unlike some players his age, he adjusted very well to life away from home. The teenager was so eager to start his professional career that being separated from his family for days and weeks at a time barely phased him.

The first rung on the pro soccer ladder was with Manchester's junior team. Stocked with talent—including Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes—they captured the FA Youth Cup in j1992. David was a key contributor and played well enough to earn a promotion to United's first team in October of that year. During the second round of the Rumbelows Cup, he came on as a substitute for Andrei Kanchelskis.

David hoped to crack the United lineup as a regular in 1993, but manager Alex Ferguson felt the teenager simply wasn't ready for the rigors of the Premier League. Though he practiced with the first team, David watched every match from the sidelines. Meanwhile, he continued to suit up for Manchester's junior squad, which fell short in defense of its FA Youth Cup crown with a loss in the final.

A year later David was loaned to Preston North End, a third-division club. At first he was discouraged by what he considered to be a demotion, and feared that Manchester wanted to get rid of him. But he came to realize that playing time—at any level—was crucial to his development.

Preston manager Gary Peters welcomed David with open arms, and when the rest of the team discovered he wasn't a prima donna, they gladly accepted him, too. In his first match with the club, David scored on a curling corner kick. He was so good in his next four games, Manchester recalled him.

David was sorry to leave Preston. He had made several good friends in his short time there, including David Moyes. His disappointment turned to elation when he got to take the field with Manchester stars like Paul Ince and Mark Hughes. By season’s end, though the United had a down year, David felt like he belonged.

Entering the 1995-96 season, the word around English soccer was that Man-U was in for a rough year. Ince, Hughes and Kanchelskis were all gone, which put the scoring onus on Roy Keane and Eric Cantona, and intensified the pressure on David, who was expected to lead a wave of rising stars on the United roster. When the team lost its first match to Aston Villa, spirits at Old Trafford sank.

David was one of the few bright spots in the defeat, netting his first Premiership goal. Still, no one could have foreseen what would come next. With its young midfielder controlling the flow of games, United stormed to the league title and won the FA Cup—achieving a startling double. David scored seven goals in 33 league matches, including several on brilliant free kicks. His biggest moment came in the semifinals of the FA Cup, as he drove home the game-winner.

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