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David Beckham
As
a schoolboy, David Beckham represented the county
of Essex, had trials with Leyton Orient and attended Tottenham Hotspur's school
of excellence. After
signing for Manchester United as a trainee on 8
July 1991, he helped the club to win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992, scoring in
the second leg of the final against Crystal Palace. Several
months later, on 23 September 1992, David made his first team debut as a substitute
in the Rumbelows Cup tie at Brighton and Hove Albion. However, he then had to
wait a further two-and-a-half years to make his League debut. During
this time, he collected a runners-up medal in the
1993 FA Youth Cup (United lost to Leeds in the final) and a reserve team
championship medal in 1994. He also played five matches on loan for Preston
North End, scoring two goals for the Lancashire club. David
eventually made his Premier League debut at home to
Leeds United on 2 April 1995, but it was in the following season, 1995/96, that
he really established himself in the first team. David
played predominantly in the right midfield position
that had been vacated by Andrei Kanchelskis, and started to show the knack for
scoring great goals, including the winner in the FA Cup semi-final against
Chelsea. The season ended with United winning their second Double. David
started the next campaign, 1996/97, by scoring his most famous goal - from the
halfway line against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park. He went on to earn his
first senior cap for England, on 1 September 1996 against Moldova in Kishinev.
He had previously been capped at youth and Under-21
level. David's
match-winning performances during 1996/97 helped United to win another
Premiership title and reach the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League. On a
personal level, he was voted Young Player of the Year and second in the overall
Player of the Year poll. The
1997/98 season was a disappointing one for United
as they finished second to Arsenal in the League, lost to Barnsley in the FA Cup
and were knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals by Monaco. There was
some consolation for David, though, when he was selected for England's World Cup
Finals squad. The
1998 World Cup Finals provided mixed feelings for
David, and were later seen as something of a turning point in his career. After
being left out of the starting line-up for the first two matches, he then scored
a stunning free-kick for England against Colombia and was hailed a national
hero. He was later branded a villain, however, when he was sent off for a foul
on Diego Simeone as England were knocked out in the second round by Argentina.
It was the first red card of David's career. Some
experts predicted that
his World Cup problems could lead to David's exit from English football, but he
knuckled down to prove them all wrong. In the first
League game of the 1998/99 season against Leicester City, he curled in one of
his trademark free-kicks to prevent defeat. In
March 1999 he became a father to Brooklyn, whose name appeared
on his boots when United completed the unprecedented Treble of Premiership, FA
Cup and European Cup. In July 1999, David married Victoria Adams, better known
as 'Posh', a member of the Spice Girls pop group. The
1999/2000 season was another successful one for David, despite all the press
hype caused by a new haircut and a high-profile argument with Sir Alex Ferguson. The
midfielder picked up his fourth Premiership winner's medal, and was voted second
best player in Europe and the World. Rivaldo of Barcelona and Brazil pipped him
to both awards. David also finished runner-up in the BBC Sports Personality of
the Year, losing out to boxing champion Lennox Lewis. The
major highlights of David's 2000/01 season were on the international stage,
although he again won the Premiership title with United, having scored in three matches
in a row early in the campaign. David
proudly captained England for the first time in a
friendly in Italy and then kept the armband for the friendly with Spain and the
World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Finland, against whom he scored an
important goal at Anfield, home of Liverpool FC. He
saved the most important goal for Old Trafford, however,
and his last-gasp goal against Greece in October 2001 secured England's place at
the World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea. After breaking a metatarsal bone
in his left foot against Deportivo la Coruna, the nation waited to see if the
inspirational captain would be fit to lead Sven's men in the Far East. In
the end, he recovered but was not fully fit as
England drew 1-1 with Sweden before Becks' penalty beat pre-tournament
favourites Argentina. A 0-0 draw with Nigeria took David and the lads through to
the second round where a comprehensive 3-0 win over Denmark set up a
quarter-final against Brazil. The Samba Kings was a step too far for
England, however, and they lost 2-1 before coming home to a heroes' welcome.
What a difference four years makes. The
2002/03 season again saw Beckham make headlines both on and off the pitch. He
found the net eleven times in total - but only once in the Premiership, on
the last day of the season at Goodison Park. A stray boot, kicked in frustration
by Sir Alex Ferguson, accidentally struck Becks on the forehead in the
dressing room and ensured more tabloid coverage for
the England captain. That was nothing compared to the frenzy at the end of the
season where he was linked with moves to Real Madrid, AC Milan and Barcelona
after winning his sixth League title with United. International stats correct at 03/06/03.
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