This week\'s crush... David Beckham
David Beckham,Victoria Beckham,celebrity,celebrity love life,celebrity news,celebrity lives
This week\'s crush... David Beckham
With the World Cup in full swing, we expected to spend the next month drooling in front of the TV watching David Beckham running around in tight, white shorts. But sadly David won\'t be playing in South Africa thanks to a torn Achilles tendon. How very selfish of him. However, he\'s still with the team at the tournament as part of the managements set-up so we decided we should honour Golden Balls himself by making him this week\'s crush. As if we actually needed an excuse to dribble over pictures of him!
Early life
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Early life
David Beckham was born in Leytonstone, London to David Edward Alan "Ted" Beckham, a kitchen fitter, and Sandra Georgina West, a hairdresser.
Beckham\'s parents were both fanatical Manchester United supporters who would frequently travel to Old Trafford from London to attend the team\'s home matches. David attended one of Bobby Charlton\'s football schools in Manchester and won the chance to take part in a training session at FC Barcelona as part of a talent competition. He played for the local youth team Ridgeway Rovers, coached by his father. Beckham was a Manchester United mascot for a match against West Ham United in 1986, however, Tottenham Hotspur were the first big club he played for.
David said in an interview in 2007, "At school whenever teachers asked, ‘What do you want to do when you\'re older?\' I\'d say, ‘I want to be a footballer.\' And they\'d say, ‘No, what do you really want to do, for a job?\' But that was the only thing I ever wanted to do."
Manchester United
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Manchester United
After being involved in the youth teams, Beckham made his premiere league debut for Manchester United on 2 April 1995, in a draw against Leeds United. Beckham was a part of a group of talented young players at United in the 1990s called Fergie\'s Fledglings. At the time, Ferguson was criticised for using youth players to replace Manchester United veterans instead of replacing them with star players from other clubs. The group went on to win a swathe of honours together including FA Cup, Premiere League and the Champions League.
The 1998 World Cup
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The 1998 World Cup
Initially, Beckham made headlines at 1998 World Cup by being photographed with wife Victoria wearing a sarong. However, all that changed during England\'s second round match against Argentina. Having been fouled by Diego Simeone, Beckham lashed out at the Argentinean and, although Simeone later admitted trying to get Beckham sent off, Beckham was given a straight red card. The match finished in a draw and England were predictably knocked out in a penalty shootout. Supporters and journalists blamed Beckham for England\'s elimination and Beckham became a public hate figure.
Redemeption and Real Madrid
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Redemeption and Real Madrid
Thanks to his marriage to Victoria, Beckham\'s public profile soared. And through a series of all-action displays as England captain he won over the fans who had booed him so heavily after 1998\'s red card. However popular Beckham had become with fans, his fame was causing problems behind the scenes at Manchester United. After a bust up with Sir Alex Ferguson the club decided to sell Beckham to Real Madrid for £25million.
Los Angeles Galaxy
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Los Angeles Galaxy
After four years at Real Madrid, Beckham shocked the world by signing for the LA Galaxy. However, David hasn\'t been a huge hit with the American fans. During his time in Los Angeles he\'s been plagued with injuries and spent two winters on loan at AC Milan to prolong his England career. LA Galaxy fans weren\'t too pleased, and when he returned to the club held up signs saying, "Go home fraud" and "part-time player".
Relationships
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Relationships
In 1997, Beckham started dating Victoria Adams, also known as Posh Spice of the Spice Girls. The relationship immediately garnered a great deal of media attention and the couple were dubbed Posh and Becks. David proposed to Victoria on 24 January 1998 and the couple married in Ireland on 4 July 1999. Beckham\'s team mate Gary Neville was the best man, and the couple\'s son Brooklyn, then four months old was the ring bearer. The wedding was massive, with 437 staff employed for the reception, which was estimated to have cost £500,000.
Affair claims
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Affair claims
In April 2004, the couple were rocked by claims in the News Of The World that Beckham had been unfaithful with his former personal assistant Rebecca Loos. A week later, Malaysian-born Australian model Sarah Marbeck claimed that she had slept with David on two occasions. Beckham dismissed both accusations as “ludicrous”. Victoria Beckham said in an interview with W Magazine, “I’m not going to lie: it was really tough time. It was hard for our entire families. But I realised a lot of people have a price.”
Endorsements
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Endorsements
Beckham\'s name extends way beyond the pitch. He\'s been the face of many brands, including Adidas, Gillette, Motorola, Pepsi, and Disneyland, and together with Victoria has become known for what the media call Brand Beckham. In December 2009, Ask Jeeves named Beckham as the third most online searched person in the last decade, basing their findings on the online activity of British users.
Quotes
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Quotes
"I always used to go for blondes and quiet girls, but Victoria is the total opposite - dark and loud."
"We\'ve been asked to do ‘Playboy\' together, me and Victoria, as a pair. I don\'t think I\'ll ever go naked, but I\'ll never say never."
"I have this obsessive compulsive disorder where I have to have everything in a straight line, or everything has to be in pairs."
"My private life is perfect. If your private life and your life outside football is good, then it is good on the field for you."
"We stay as a team. I might be England captain, but that doesn\'t mean I get treated differently."
