Biography

As a schoolboy, David Beckham represented the county of Essex, had trials with Leyton Orient and attended Tottenham Hotspur's school of excellence. Beckham signed for Manchester United as a trainee on 8 July 1991 and was part of United's famous 1992 Youth Cup winning side. Making his League debut at home to Leeds United in April 1995, he fully established himself the next year in United's 1995/96 Double winning season as a right midfielder after the departure of Andrei Kanchelskis.
However, it was that famous goal from the halfway line of the 1996/97 season at Wimbledon that pitched him into the spotlight that has only grown brighter ever since. Following that, he went on a run of amazing performances, scoring a fantastic selection of long-range goals to help United win the Premiership and himself the Young Player of the Year award. He also came second in the Player of the Year voting. This same season saw himearn his first senior cap for England, on 1 September 1996 against Moldova.
In the 1998 World Cup in France, Beckham was included in the England squad. After being left out of the starting line-up for the first two matches, he scored a beautiful free-kick against Columbia and was hailed a national hero. No sooner than that, he became one of the most hated men in his country, when his infamous kick on Diego Simeone resulted in him being sent off. England was knocked out in the second round by Argentina, and Beckham was forced to seek shelter with his then Spice Girl wife Victoria who was touring the United States.



Back