Roger Federer

Roger Federer (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the number one position for a record 237 consecutive weeks[2] and 285 total weeks, one week behind record holder Pete Sampras. As of 18 October 2010, he is ranked World No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Many sports analysts, tennis critics, and former and current players consider Federer to be the greatest tennis player of all time.[3][4][5][6][7][8] Federer has won a male record 16 Grand Slam singles titles. He is one of seven male players to capture the career Grand Slam and one of three (with Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal) to do so on three different surfaces (clay, grass and hard courts). Federer has appeared in an unprecedented 22 career Grand Slam finals. He holds the record of reaching the semi-finals or better of 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments over five and a half years from the 2004 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open.[9] Federer also holds the record of reaching 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals and appeared in 18 of 19 over four and a half years from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open, excluding the 2008 Australian Open. Federer has won 4 ATP World Tour Finals and 17 ATP Masters Series tournaments. He also won the Olympic Gold Medal in doubles with his compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. As a result of Federer's successes in tennis, he was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for four consecutive years (2005–2008).[10] He is often referred to as The Federer Express[11] or abbreviated to Fed Express,[11] the Swiss Maestro[11] or simply Maestro.[11][12][13][14] Contents [hide] Roger Federer A dark-haired man is in the serving motion, which he is in all white clothing, and he has a reddish-black tennis racket in his right hand Wimbledon 2009 Country Switzerland Residence Wollerau, Switzerland Date of birth 8 August 1981 (1981-08-08) (age 29) Place of birth Basel, Switzerland Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Turned pro 1998[1] Plays Right-handed (one-handed backhand) Career prize money US$57,439,704 * All-time leader in earnings Singles Career record 722–172 (80.7%) Career titles 63 (tied 5th in overall rankings in Open era) Highest ranking No. 1 (2 February 2004) Current ranking No. 2 (18 October 2010) Grand Slam results Australian Open 4W (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010) French Open 1W (2009) Wimbledon 6W (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009) US Open 5W (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) Other tournaments Tour Finals 4W (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007) Olympic Games SF (2000) Doubles Career record 114–74 (60.6%) Career titles 8 Highest ranking No. 24 (9 June 2003) Grand Slam Doubles results Australian Open 3R (2003) French Open 1R (2000) Wimbledon QF (2000) US Open 3R (2002) Olympic Games Gold medal.svg Gold Medal (2008) Last updated on: 24 May 2010. Olympic medal record Competitor for Switzerland Men's Tennis Gold 2008 Beijing Doubles * 1 Childhood and personal life o 1.1 Marriage and family o 1.2 Outreach and charitable efforts * 2 Tennis career o 2.1 Pre-1998: Junior years o 2.2 1998–2002: Early career in the ATP o 2.3 2003–2006: Breakthrough and dominance o 2.4 2007 to present: Gaining greatness and achieving records o 2.5 Rivalries + 2.5.1 Federer vs. Nadal + 2.5.2 Federer vs. Roddick + 2.5.3 Federer vs. Hewitt + 2.5.4 Federer vs. Djokovic o 2.6 Playing style o 2.7 Equipment, apparel, and endorsements o 2.8 Grand Slam performance timeline o 2.9 Olympic finals o 2.10 Records * 3 See also * 4 Notes * 5 References * 6 Video * 7 External links o 7.1 Profiles Childhood and personal life Federer was born in Binningen, near Basel, to Swiss national Robert Federer and South Africa-born Lynette Du Rand.[15] He holds both Swiss and South African citizenship.[16] He grew up in suburban Münchenstein, near Basel, close to the French-German borders and Federer speaks Swiss German, German, French and English fluently.[15][17][18] He was raised as a Roman Catholic and met Pope Benedict XVI while playing the 2006 Internazionali BNL d'Italia tournament in Rome.[19] Like all male Swiss citizens, Federer was subject to compulsory military service in the Swiss Armed Forces. However, in 2003 he was deemed unfit due to a long-standing back problem and was subsequently not required to fulfill his obligations.[20] Marriage and family Federer is married to former Women's Tennis Association player Mirka Vavrinec. They met while competing for Switzerland in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Vavrinec retired from the tour in 2002 because of a foot injury and has since been working as Federer's public relations manager.[21] They were married in Basel on 11 April 2009, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family at Wenkenhof Villa (municipality of Riehen).[22] On 23 July 2009, Mirka gave birth to twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva.[23] Outreach and charitable efforts Federer supports various charities. He established the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003 to help disadvantaged people and to promote sports.[24][25] In 2005, he auctioned his racquet from his US Open championship to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina.[26] He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF in 2006.[27] Since then, he has visited South Africa and Tamil Nadu, one of the areas in India most affected by the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.[28] He has also appeared in UNICEF public messages to raise public awareness of AIDS. In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Federer responded by arranging a collaboration with fellow top tennis players Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams, Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Stosur to forgo their final day of preparation for the 2010 Australian Open to form a special charity event called Hit For Haiti, in which all proceeds will go to the Haiti earthquake victims.[29] He was named as a 2010 Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in recognition of his leadership, accomplishments and contributions to society.[30] Tennis career Pre-1998: Junior years Main article: Roger Federer juniors years Federer's main accomplishment's as a junior player came at Wimbledon, where he won both the singles tournament over Irakli Labadze 6–4, 6–4[31] and in doubles teamed up with Olivier Rochus, in which they defeated the team of Michaël Llodra and Andy Ram 6–4, 6–4.[32] In addition, Federer lost the US Open Junior tournament in 1998 to David Nalbandian in 3–6, 5–7. He won four other ITF junior singles tournaments in his career, including the prestigious Orange Bowl where he defeated Guillermo Coria 7–5, 6–3 in the finals.[33] He ended 1998 as the junior World Number One. 1998–2002: Early career in the ATP Main article: Roger Federer's early career A dark-haired man in all white clothing, and caring a redish-black bag on his right shoulder and a black one on the left shoulder Federer at the 2002 US Open Roger Federer's first tournament as a professional was Gstaad in 1998, which he faced Lucas Arnold Ker in the Round of 32, and he lost 4–6, 4–6.[34] Federer's first final came at the Marseille Open, which was in 2000, and he lost to fellow Swiss Marc Rosset 6–2, 3–6, 6–7(5).[35] Federer's first win was at the 2001 Milan Indoor tournament, which he defeated Julien Boutter by a score of 6–4, 6–7(7), 6–4.[35] In 2001, Federer made his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the French Open, and at Wimbledon that same year defeated four-time defending champion Pete Sampras to reach the quarterfinals. The most prestigious event final he reached during this period was the 2002 Miami Masters event, where he lost to Andre Agassi in 3–6, 3–6, 6–3, 4–6 on hardcourt.[36] In addition, Federer won his first Master Series event at the 2002 Hamburg Masters on clay in 6–1, 6–3, 6–4 over Marat Safin; the victory made him a top-10 player for the first time.[36] Federer made ten singles finals during this time in his career between 1998 and 2002, of which he won four and lost six.[34][35][36][37][38] From 1998 to 2002, Federer made six finals in doubles. Of note are Federer and partner Max Mirnyi's defeat in the final of the Indian Wells Masters in 2002, and their victory in the same year in the final of the Rotterdam 500 series event. Federer had won the latter the year earlier with partner Jonas Björkman.[36][38] 2003–2006: Breakthrough and dominance Main articles: Roger Federer in 2003, Roger Federer in 2004, Roger Federer in 2005, and Roger Federer in 2006 In 2003, Federer won his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, beating Mark Philippoussis 7–6(5), 6–2, 7–6(3).[39] Federer won his first and only doubles Masters Series 1000 Event in Miami with Max Mirnyi,[40] and made it to one singles Masters Series 1000 Event in Rome on clay, which he lost.[39] Federer made it to nine finals on the ATP Tour and won seven of them, including the 500 series events at Dubai and Vienna.[39] Lastly, Federer won the Year-End Championships over Andre Agassi.[39] During 2004, Federer won three Grand Slam singles titles for the first time in his career, and became the first person to do so since Mats Wilander in 1988. His first Grand Slam hard court title came at the Australian Open over Marat Safin 7–6(3), 6–4, 6–2. He then won his second Wimbledon crown over Andy Roddick 4–6, 7–5, 7–6(3), 6–4.[41] Federer defeated the 2001 US Open champion, Lleyton Hewitt, at the US Open for his first title there 6–0, 7–6(3), 6–0.[41] Federer won three ATP Masters Series 1000 events. One was on clay in Hamburg, and the other two were on hard surfaces in Indian Wells and Canada.[41] Federer took the ATP 500 series event at Dubai, and wrapped up the year by winning the year-ending championships for the second time.[41] A dark-haired man is waving to the crowd with his tennis racket in his right hand, and he is wearing all white clothing Federer during the 2005 Wimbledon Championships, where he won his third consecutive title. In 2005, Federer failed to reach the finals of the first two Grand Slam tournaments, losing the Australian Open semifinal to eventual champion Safin and the French Open semifinal to champion Rafael Nadal.[42] However, Federer quickly reestablished his dominance on grass, winning the Wimbledon Championships over Andy Roddick 6–2, 7–6(2), 6–4. At the US Open, Federer defeated Andre Agassi in the latter's last Grand Slam final 6–3, 2–6, 7–6(1), 6–1.[42] However, Federer would take four ATP Masters Series 1000 wins: Indian Wells, Miami, and Cincinnati on hard court surfaces and a lone clay court title at Hamburg.[42] Furthermore, Federer won two ATP 500 series events at Rotterdam and Dubai.[42] Federer lost the year-ending championships to David Nalbandian in the final.[42] In 2006, Federer won three Grand Slam singles titles and reached the final of the other, with the only loss coming against Nadal in the French Open 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6(4). This was the two men's first meeting in a Grand Slam final.[43] Federer defeated Nadal in the Wimbledon Championships final 6–0, 7–6(5), 6–7(2), 6–3, which was the start of their storied rivalry. In the Australian Open, Federer defeated Marcos Baghdatis 5–7, 7–5, 6–0, 6–2[43] and at the US Open, Federer defeated Roddick (2003 champion) 6–2, 4–6, 7–5, 6–1.[43] In addition, Federer made it to six ATP Masters Series 1000 finals, winning four on hard surfaces and losing two on clay to Nadal. Federer won one ATP 500 series event in Tokyo, and captured the year-end championships for the third time in his career.[43] 2007 to present: Gaining greatness and achieving records Main articles: Roger Federer in 2007, Roger Federer in 2008, Roger Federer in 2009, and Roger Federer in 2010 In 2007, Federer reached all four Grand Slam singles finals, winning three of them. He won the Australian Open over Fernando González 7–6(2), 6–4, 6–4, the Wimbledon Championships over Rafael Nadal for the second time 7–6(7), 4–6, 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–2, and the US Open over Novak Djokovic 7–6(4), 7–6(2), 6–4. Federer lost the French Open to Nadal 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4.[44] Federer made five ATP Masters Series 1000 finals, but won only in Hamburg and Madrid.[44] Federer won one 500 series event in Dubai and won the year-ending championships.[44] A dark-haired man is in a red shirt with white shorts and shoes and bandanna, which he is carrying his tennis racket in his right hand pointing towards the ground Federer at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where he won a gold medal in Doubles. In 2008, Federer won one Grand Slam singles title, which came at the US Open over Briton Andy Murray 6–2, 7–5, 6–2.[45] Federer was defeated by Nadal in two Grand Slam finals, at the French Open 6–1, 6–3, 6–0 and at Wimbledon 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–7(8), 9–7, when he was going for six straight wins to break Björn Borg's record.[45] In the Australian Open, Federer lost in the semifinals to Djokovic, which ended his record of 10 consecutive finals.[45] Federer lost twice in Master Series 1000 Finals on clay to Nadal at Monte Carlo and Hamburg.[45] However, Federer captured two titles in 250 level events at Estoril, Halle and one title in 500 level events in Basel. In doubles, Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka won the gold medal at the Olympic Games.[46] In 2009, Federer won two Grand Slam singles titles, which were the French Open over Robin Söderling 6–1, 7–6(1), 6–4 and the Wimbledon Championships over Andy Roddick 5–7, 7–6(6), 7–6(5), 3–6, 16–14.[47] Federer reached two other Grand Slam finals, losing to Nadal at the Australian Open 7–5, 3–6, 7–6(3), 3–6, 6–2 and to Juan Martín del Potro at the US Open 3–6, 7–6(5), 4–6, 7–6(4), 6–2.[47] Federer won two more events, the first at the Madrid Masters over Nadal in the final, which was on clay, 6–4, 6–4.[47] The second was in Cincinnati over Djokovic 6–1, 7–5, although Federer lost to Djokovic in Basel 6–4, 4–6, 6–2 later in the year.[47] Federer completed a career grand slam by winning his first French Open title and won a men's record fifteenth Grand Slam singles title, which is one more than Pete Sampras's mark of fourteen.[47] In 2010, Federer continued to reach milestones and achievements. He won the Australian Open.[48] In the final, Federer defeated Andy Murray 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(11), whom he also beat in the 2008 US Open final.[45][48] Federer made it to three Masters 1000 finals. At the Madrid Open, which he lost to Nadal 6–4, 7–6.[48] At the Canadian Masters Federer lost to Murray.[49] A week later at the Cincinnati Masters Federer won his first title in eight months as he became the first player since Agassi to retain the title, as he beat Fish in the final.[50] He also equaled Agassi for the amount of Masters wins at 17 and tied Borg's mark for number of total titles won and moved to just one behind Sampras. Back at the slams at the French Open, Federer failed to reach a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time since the 2004 French Open, losing to Söderling 3–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4. However on the way he won his 700th tour match and 150th tour match on clay.[51] Nadal won the tournament for the fifth time and replaced Federer as World No 1. Federer was just one week away from equalling Pete Sampras's record of 286 weeks as World No. 1. In preparation for Wimbledon, Federer once again competed in Halle but was defeated in the final by Lleyton Hewitt 3–6, 7–6(4), 6–4. This is the first time since 2001 that Federer has entered Wimbledon having won only one title for the year. At the 2010 Wimbledon Championships Federer won for the 200th time in Grand Slam matches as he came back from 2 sets down to defeat Alejandro Falla 5–7,4–6,6–4,7–6(1), 6–0, with Falla serving for the match at 5–4 in the fourth set.[52] However, in a big surprise, Federer lost in the quarter final to Tomáš Berdych 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 6–4, and fell to World No. 3 in the rankings for the first time in nearly seven years.[53] During Federer's summer break between Wimbledon and Canada he hired Pete Sampras' old coach Paul Annacone to revive his fortune to start with on a trial period.[54] At the 2010 U.S. Open, Federer reached the semifinals, avenging his French Open loss to Söderling in the quarterfinals. By reaching the semifinals, Federer achieved his 20th match win in 2010 grand slams; this is the seventh consecutive year he has accomplished this feat, a record matched only by Ivan Lendl. In the semifinals, Federer lost a five-set match to number three seed and 2008 Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic 7–5, 1–6, 7–5, 2–6, 5–7. Rivalries Federer has had several intense rivalries over the years. The oldest rivalry is with Lleyton Hewitt, but the most famous is with Rafael Nadal. Federer vs. Nadal Main article: Federer–Nadal rivalry A dark-haired tennis player is reaching to hit a tennis shot with a racket in his left hand, and he is wearing black shoes and shorts with black and white mixture shirt and yellowish-green accessories Nadal during the 2009 Australian Open final Federer and Nadal have been playing each other since 2004 and their rivalry is a significant part of both men's careers.[55][56][57][58][59] They have held the top two rankings on the ATP Tour from July 2005 until 14 September 2009, when Nadal fell to World No. 3 (Andy Murray became the new No. 2). They are the only pair of men to have ever finished four consecutive calendar years at the top. Federer was ranked number 1 for a record 237 consecutive weeks beginning in February 2004. Nadal, who is five years younger, ascended to No. 2 in July 2005 and held this spot for a record 160 consecutive weeks before surpassing Federer in August 2008.[60] Nadal leads their head-to-head 14–7.[61] Because tournament seedings are based on rankings, 17 of their matches have been in tournament finals, including an all-time record 7 Grand Slam finals.[62] From 2006 to 2008 they played in every French Open and Wimbledon final, and then they met in the 2009 Australian Open final. Nadal won five of the seven, losing the first two Wimbledons. Three of these matches were five set-matches (2007 and 2008 Wimbledon, 2009 Australian Open), and the 2008 Wimbledon final has been lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis analysts.[63][64][65][66] They have also played in a record 9 Masters Series finals, including their lone five hour match at the 2006 Rome Masters which Nadal won in a fifth-set tiebreak. Until 14 September 2009, when Juan Martín del Potro beat Nadal in the US Open semi-final on his way to defeating Federer in the final itself, no player had beaten both Nadal and Federer in the same Grand Slam. Nadal has not lost a French Open (5) final, while Federer was undefeated in US Open finals until losing to del Potro (5). Both have won Grand Slam events on three different surfaces successively (2008 French Open, 2008 Wimbledon, 2009 Australian Open for Nadal and 2008 US Open, 2009 French Open, 2009 Wimbledon for Federer). Federer vs. Roddick Federer and Roddick have a long, though lopsided, rivalry. They have met 21 times during their careers, with Federer leading their overall head-to-head series 19–2.[67] Roddick has lost four Grand Slam finals, each time to Federer: Wimbledon in 2004, 2005, and 2009, and one US Open in 2006. On 2 February 2004, Federer supplanted Roddick as World No. 1 to begin his record reign of 237 consecutive weeks at number 1. Federer and Roddick are the only players to have finished each year in the ATP top 10 from 2002 to 2010. Federer vs. Hewitt Federer and Lleyton Hewitt have played each other on 25 occasions. Early in their careers, Hewitt dominated Federer, winning seven of their first nine meetings, including a victory from two sets down in the 2003 Davis Cup semifinal which allowed Australia to defeat Switzerland. However, from 2004 onward, Federer has dominated the rivalry, winning 15 of the last 16 meetings to emerge with a 17–8 overall head-to-head record.[68] This is Federer's longest rivalry as these two first played each other as juniors in 1996. They have met in one Grand Slam final, the 2004 US Open final, where Federer won 6–0, 7–6, 6–0 to win his first US Open title. Federer is 8–0 against Hewitt in Grand Slams, and has won six of the Grand Slams in which he has defeated Hewitt. Federer vs. Djokovic These two have met 16 times with Federer leading 10–6. The rivalry between the two is not as intense as Federer's rivalry with Nadal. Djokovic is the only player besides Nadal to have defeated Federer more than once in a Grand Slam tournament since 2004. Playing style Federer at the 2007 Davidoff Swiss Indoors Federer's versatility was summarised by Jimmy Connors: "In an era of specialists, you're either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist, or a hard court specialist...or you're Roger Federer."[69] Federer is an all-court, all-round player known for his fluid style of play and shot making. Federer mainly plays from the baseline but is also comfortable at the net being one of the best volleyers in the game today. He has a very effective smash and very effectively performs rare elements in today's tennis, such as backhand smash, half-volley and jump smash (slam dunk). David Foster Wallace described Federer's exceptional speed, fluidity and brute force of this forehand motion as "a great liquid whip",[70] while John McEnroe has referred to Federer's forehand as "the greatest shot in our sport".[71] Federer plays with a single-handed backhand which gives him great variety. He employs the slice, occasionally using it to lure the opponent to the net and pass him. Federer can also fire topspin winners and possesses a 'flick' backhand where he can generate pace with his wrist; this is usually used to pass the opponent at the net.[70] His serve is difficult to read because he tosses the ball in the same spot no matter where he intends to serve it, and turns his back to his opponents during his motion. He is often able to produce big serves on key points during a match. His first serve is typically around 200 km/h (125 mph),[72][73][74] however, he is capable of serving at 220 km/h (137 mph).[72][73] His speciality is a half-volley from the baseline which enables him to play very near to the baseline and to pick up balls (even deeper ones) very early after their bounds, thus giving his opponents less time to react on his shot. Recently, Federer has also added the drop shot to his game and utilizes a well-disguised one off of both wings. He can also use the between-the-legs shot, as was shown in the semifinals of the 2009 US Open against Novak Djokovic, bringing him match point. Equipment, apparel, and endorsements Federer currently plays with a customised Wilson Six.One Tour BLX tennis racquet,[75] which is characterised by its smaller hitting area of 90 square inches, heavy strung weight of 12.5 ounces, and thin beam of 17 millimeters. His grip size is 4 3/8 inches (sometimes referred to as L3).[76] Federer strings his racquets at 24 to 28 kilograms (52.9 to 61.7 pounds) tension utilizing Wilson Natural Gut 16 gauge for his main strings and Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power Rough 16L gauge (polyester) for his cross strings.[76] When asked about string tensions, Federer stated "this depends on how warm the days are and with what kind of balls I play and against who I play. So you can see – it depends on several factors and not just the surface; the feeling I have is most important."[77] Federer has a contract with Nike footwear and apparel.[78] For the 2006 championships at Wimbledon, Nike designed a jacket emblazoned with a crest of three tennis racquets, symbolising the three Wimbledon Championships he had previously won, and which was updated the next year with four racquets after he won the Championship in 2006.[79] In Wimbledon 2008 and again in 2009, Nike continued this trend by making him a personalised cardigan.[80] He also has his own logo, an R and F joined together.[81] Federer endorses Gillette,[82] Jura, a Swiss-based coffee machine company,[83] as well as Mercedes Benz and NetJets. Federer also endorses Rolex watches,[84] although he was previously an ambassador for Maurice Lacroix.[85] Also in 2009 Federer became brand ambassador for Swiss chocolate makers Lindt.[86] In 2010 his endorsement by Mercedes-Benz China was extended into a global Mercedes-Benz partnership deal.[8

More Than Words by Extreme

Extreme - More Then Words lyrics

Saying I love you
Is not the words I want to hear from you
It's not that I want to
Not to say, but if you only knew
How easy it would be to show me how you feel
More than words is all you have to do to make it real
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
Cause I'd already know

What would you do if my heart was torn in two
More than words to show you feel
That your love for me is real
What would you say if I took those words away
Then you couldn't make things new
Just by saying I love you

More than words

Now that I've tried to talk to you and make you understand
All you have to do is close your eyes
And just reach out your hands and touch me
Hold me close don't ever let me go
More than words is all I ever needed you to show
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
Cause I'd already know

What would you do if my heart was torn in two
More than words to show you feel
That your love for me is real
What would you say if I took those words away
Then you couldn't make things new
Just by saying I love you

More than words
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Because you love me by Celine Dion

Celine Dion - Because You Loved Me

For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I’ll be forever thankful baby
You’re the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You’re the one who saw me through through it all

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ’coz you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me

You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love I had it all
I’m grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don’t know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ’coz you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me

You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You’ve been my inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ’coz you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ’coz you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me

I’m everything I am
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Hero by Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey - Hero Lyrics

There's a hero if you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid of what you are
There's an answer if you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know will melt away

R: And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And then you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

It's a long road when you face the world alone
No one reaches out a hand for you to hold
You can find love if you search within your self
And the empitiness you felt will disappear

Back to R

# Lord knows dreams are hard to follow
But don't let anyone tear them away
Hold on, there will be tomorrow
In time you'll find the way

Back to R

thanks to anggifadya[at]gmail.com for thsi lyric

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David Beckham

David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE^[2] (born 2 May 1975)^[3] is an English footballer who currently plays in midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer,^[4] having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and Milan, as well as the England national team, for whom he holds the all-time appearance record for an outfield player.^[5]
Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17.^[6] During his time there, United won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999.^[6] He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons,^[7] clinching the La Liga championship in his final season with the club.^[8] In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid for the Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy,^[9] signing a five-year contract with them on 1 July 2007. While a Galaxy player, he has also spent two loan spells in Italy with Milan in 2009 and 2010.
In international football, Beckham made his England debut on 1 September 1996 aged 21. He was made captain from 15 November 2000^[10] until the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals,^[11] during which he played 58 times. He earned a much-publicised hundredth cap against France on 26 March 2008,^[12] and became the all-time outfield player appearance record holder on 28 March 2009 when he surpassed Bobby Moore's total of 108 caps.^[5] With 115 career appearances to date he has stated that does not intend to retire from international football, having missed the 2010 World Cup through injury and not featuring in England manager Fabio Capello's post-World Cup plans.^[13]
Beckham has twice been runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year^[6] and in 2004 was the world's highest-paid footballer when taking into account salary and advertising deals.^[14] Beckham was the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches.^[6] He was Google's most searched of all sports topics in both 2003 and 2004.^[15] With such global recognition he has become an elite advertising brand and a top fashion icon.^[16][17] When joining the MLS in 2007 he was given the highest player salary in the league's history, with his playing contract with the Galaxy over the next three years being worth $6.5m per year.^{[18][19][20][21]}
Beckham is married to former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham (née Adams).^[22] The couple have three sons and currently reside in Beverly Hills, California.

David Beckham

Personal information
Full name	David Robert Joseph Beckham
Date of birth	2 May 1975 (1975-05-02) (age 35)
Place of birth	Leytonstone, London, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Los Angeles Galaxy
Number	23
Youth career
	Brimsdown Rovers
1987–1991	Tottenham Hotspur
1991–1993	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1993–2003	Manchester United	265	(62)
1995	→ Preston North End (loan)	5	(2)
2003–2007	Real Madrid	116	(13)
2007–	Los Angeles Galaxy	44	(7)
2009	→ Milan (loan)	18	(2)
2010	→ Milan (loan)	11	(0)
National team‡
1992–1993	England U-18	3	(0)
1994–1996	England U-21	9	(0)
1996–	England	115	(17)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 September 2010. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 3 November 2009

Contents [hide] 1 Club career 1.1 Childhood and early career 1.2 Manchester United 1.3 Real Madrid 1.4 Los Angeles Galaxy 1.5 Loan to Milan 1.6 Return to Galaxy 1.7 Second loan spell at Milan 1.8 Second return to Galaxy 2 International career 2.1 International goals 3 Coaching career 4 Discipline 5 Honours 5.1 Club 5.1.1 Manchester United 5.1.2 Real Madrid 5.1.3 Los Angeles Galaxy 5.2 International 5.2.1 England 5.3 Individual 5.3.1 Orders and special awards 6 Statistics 7 David Beckham Academy 8 Personal life 8.1 Affair claims 8.2 Legal issues 9 Fame beyond football 10 Charitable work 11 Appearances in films 11.1 Bend It Like Beckham 11.2 The Goal! Trilogy 12 Records 13 Tattoos 14 See also 15 References 15.1 Books 15.2 Internet 16 External links

Club career

Childhood and early career

Beckham was born at Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, London, England.^[23] He is the son of David Edward Alan "Ted" Beckham (b. Edmonton, London, July–September 1948), a kitchen fitter, and wife (m. London Borough of Hackney, 1969)^[24] Sandra Georgina West (b. 1949),^[25] a hairdresser. He regularly played football in Ridgeway Park, Chingford, as a child, and attended Chase Lane Primary School and Chingford Foundation School. In a 2007 interview, Beckham said that, "At school whenever the 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."^[26] Beckham's maternal grandfather was Jewish,^[27] and Beckham has referred to himself as "half Jewish"^[28] and spoken of the influence the religion has had on him. In his book Both Feet on the Ground, he stated that growing up he always attended church with his parents and his two sisters, Joanne and Lynne.^[29] His parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters who would frequently travel to Old Trafford from London to attend the team's home matches. David inherited his parents' love of Manchester United, and his main sporting passion was football. He 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 a local youth team called the Ridgeway Rovers – coached by his father, Stuart Underwood and Steve Kirby. Beckham was a Manchester United mascot for a match against West Ham United in 1986. Young Beckham had trials with his local club Leyton Orient, Norwich City and attended Tottenham Hotspur's school of excellence. Tottenham Hotspur was the first club he played for. During a two-year period in which Beckham played for Brimsdown Rovers' youth team, he was named Under-15 Player of the Year in 1990.^[30] He also attended Bradenton Preparatory Academy, but signed schoolboy forms at Manchester United on his fourteenth birthday, and subsequently signed a Youth Training Scheme contract on 8 July 1991.

Manchester United

Beckham was part of a group of young players at the club who guided the club to win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992, with Beckham scoring in the second leg^[31] of the final against Crystal Palace. He made his first appearance for United's first-team that year, as a substitute in a League Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion, and signed his first professional contract shortly afterwards. United reached the final of the Youth Cup again the following year, with Beckham playing in their defeat by Leeds United, and he won another medal in 1994 when the club's reserve team won their league, although he didn't play in any first team games that season. He played four times for United in the league that season, as they finished second behind Blackburn Rovers and missed a third successive Premier League title by a single point. He was not in the squad for United's FA Cup final clash with Everton on 20 May, which they lost 1-0 and were left without a major trophy for the first time since 1989.
On 7 December 1994, Beckham made his UEFA Champions League debut, scoring a goal in a 4–0 victory at home to Galatasaray in the final game of the group stage. However, this victory was of little use as they finished third out of four in their group behind FC Barcelona on goal difference.
He then went to Preston North End on loan for part of the 1994–95 season to get some first team experience. He impressed, scoring two goals in five appearances, notably scoring directly from a corner kick.^[32] Beckham returned to Manchester and finally made his Premier League debut for Manchester United on 2 April 1995, in a goal-less draw against Leeds United.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had a great deal of confidence in the club's young players. Beckham was part of a group of young talents Ferguson brought in to United in the 1990s ("Fergie's Fledglings"), which included Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville. When experienced players Paul Ince, Mark Hughes, and Andrei Kanchelskis left the club after the end of the 1994–95 season, his decision to let youth team players replace them instead of buying star players from other clubs (United had been linked with moves for players including Darren Anderton, Marc Overmars, and Roberto Baggio, but no major signings were made that summer), drew a great deal of criticism. The criticism increased when United started the season with a 3–1 defeat at Aston Villa,^[33] with Beckham scoring United's only goal of the game; however, United won their next five matches and the young players performed well.
Beckham swiftly established himself as United's right-sided midfielder (rather than a right-winger in the style of his predecessor Andrei Kanchelskis) and helped them to win the Premier League title and FA Cup double that season, scoring the winner in the semi-final against Chelsea and also provided the corner that Eric Cantona scored from in the FA Cup Final. Beckham's first title medal had, for a while, looked like it wouldn't be coming that season, as United were still 10 points adrift of leaders Newcastle United at the turn of the new year, but Beckham and his team-mates had overhauled the Tynesiders at the top of the league by mid March and they remained top until the end of the season.
Despite playing regularly (and to a consistently high standard) for Manchester United, Beckham did not break into the England squad before Euro 96.^[34]
At the beginning of the 1996–97 season David Beckham was given the number 10 shirt that had most recently been worn by Mark Hughes. On 17 August 1996 (the first day of the Premier League season), Beckham became something of a household name when he scored a spectacular goal in a match against Wimbledon. With United leading 2–0, Beckham noticed that Wimbledon's goalkeeper Neil Sullivan was standing a long way out of his goal, and hit a shot from the halfway line that floated over the goalkeeper and into the net.^[35] When Beckham scored his famous goal, he did so in shoes custom-made for Charlie Miller ("Charlie" embroidered on boots), which had been given to Beckham by mistake.^[36] In a UK poll conducted by Channel 4 in 2002, the British public voted the goal #18 in the list of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.^[37] During the 1996–97 season, he became an automatic first-choice player at United helping them to retain the Premier League championship, and being voted PFA Young Player of the Year by his peers.^[38]
On 18 May 1997, Eric Cantona retired as a player and left the coveted number 7 shirt free, and with Teddy Sheringham arriving from Tottenham Hotspur as Cantona's successor, Beckham left his number 10 shirt for Sheringham and picked up the number 7 jersey. Some fans had felt the number 7 shirt should be retired after Cantona had himself retired, but the shirt number remains in use to this day (most recently by another England star Michael Owen).
United started the 1997–98 season well but erratic performances in the second half of the season saw United finish second behind Arsenal.^[39]
In the 1998–99 season, he was part of the United team that won The Treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, a unique feat in English football. There had been speculation that the criticism that he had received after being sent off in the World Cup would lead to him leaving England, but he decided to stay at Manchester United.
To ensure they would win the Premier League title, United needed to win their final league match of the season, at home to Tottenham Hotspur (with reports suggesting that the opposition would allow themselves to be easily beaten to prevent their deadly local rivals Arsenal from retaining the title), but Tottenham took an early lead in the match. Beckham scored the equaliser and United went on to win the match and the league.
Beckham played centre-midfield in United's FA Cup final win over Newcastle United and for the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final against Bayern Munich, since United's first string centre-midfielders were suspended for the match. United were losing the match 1–0 at the end of normal time, but won the trophy by scoring two goals in injury time. Both of the goals came from corners taken by Beckham. Those crucial assists, coupled with great performances over the rest of the season, led to him finishing runner up to Rivaldo for 1999's European Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year awards.

Beckham in a match against Bristol Rovers

Despite Beckham's achievements in the 1998–99 season, he was still unpopular among some opposition fans and journalists, and he was criticised after being sent off for a deliberate foul in Manchester United's World Club Championship match against Necaxa. It was suggested in the press that his wife was a bad influence on him, and that it might be in United's interests to sell him,^[40] but his manager publicly backed him and he stayed at the club. During the 1999–2000 season, there was a talk of a transfer to Juventus in Italy, but this never happened.
By the early 2000s, the relationship between Ferguson and Beckham had begun to deteriorate, possibly as a result of Beckham's fame and commitments away from football. In 2000, Beckham was given permission to miss training to look after his son Brooklyn, who had gastroenteritis, but Ferguson was furious when Victoria Beckham was photographed at a London Fashion Week event on the same night, claiming that Beckham would have been able to train if Victoria had looked after Brooklyn that day. He responded by fining Beckham the maximum amount that was permitted (two weeks' wages – then £50,000) and dropping him for a crucial match against United's rivals Leeds United. He later criticised Beckham for this in his autobiography, claiming he had not been "fair to his teammates"^[41] Beckham had a good season for his club, though, and helped United to win the Premier League by a record margin.

"He was never a problem until he got married. He used to go into work with the academy coaches at night time, he was a fantastic young lad. Getting married into that entertainment scene was a difficult thing – from that moment, his life was never going to be the same. He is such a big celebrity, football is only a small part."' – Alex Ferguson speaking about Beckham's marriage in 2007.^[42]

Beckham helped United retain the Premier League title in 1999–2000 by an 18-point margin – after being pushed by Arsenal and Leeds United for much of the season, United won their final 11 league games of the season, with Beckham scoring five goals during this fantastic run of form. He managed six league goals that season, and scored eight goals in all competitions.
He was a key player in United's third successive league title in 2000–01 – only the fourth time that any club had achieved three league titles in a row. He scored nine goals that season, all in the Premier League.
On 10 April 2002, Beckham was injured during a Champions League match against Deportivo La Coruña, breaking the second metatarsal bone in his left foot. There was speculation in the British media that the injury might have been caused deliberately, as the player who had injured Beckham was Argentine Aldo Duscher, and England and Argentina were due to meet in that year's World Cup.^[43] The injury prevented Beckham from playing for United for the rest of the season and they missed out on the Premier League title to Arsenal (also being knocked out of the European Cup by Bayer Leverkusen on away goals in the semi-finals), but he signed a three-year contract in May, following months of negotiations with the club, mostly concerning extra payments for his image rights. The income from his new contract, and his many endorsement deals, made him the highest-paid player in the world at the time.^[44]
2001–02 was arguably Beckham's best season as a United player, though. He scored 11 goals in 28 league games, and a total of 16 goals in 42 games in all competitions, the best tally of his career.
Following an injury early in the 2002–03 season, Beckham was unable to regain his place on the Manchester United team, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær having replaced him on the right side of midfield. His relationship with his manager deteriorated further on 15 February 2003 when, in the changing room following an FA Cup defeat to Arsenal, a furious Alex Ferguson threw^{[45][46][47][48][49] [50][51]} or kicked a boot that struck Beckham over the eye, causing a cut that required stitches. The incident led to a great deal of transfer speculation involving Beckham, with bookmakers offering odds on whether he or Ferguson would be first to leave the club.^[52] Although the team had started the season badly, their results improved greatly from December onwards and they won the league, with Beckham managing a total of 11 goals in 52 games in all competitions.
He was still a first-choice player for England, however, and he was awarded an OBE for services to football on 13 June 2003.^[53]
Beckham had made 265 Premier league appearances for United and scored 61 goals. He also made 81 Champions league appearances, scoring 15 goals. Beckham won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, one European Cup, one Intercontinental Cup, and one FA Youth Cup in the space of 12 years. By this stage, he was their joint second longest serving player behind Ryan Giggs (having joined them at the same time as Nicky Butt, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes).

Real Madrid

Beckham (top) and Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid in August 2003

Manchester United had been keen to sell Beckham to FC Barcelona^[54] but instead he signed a four-year contract with reigning Spanish champions Real Madrid as the latest of the galáctico signings by club president Florentino Pérez, with the transfer fee being about €35 million (£25m).^[55] The news came as a bitter pill to the newly elected Barça president Joan Laporta who based much of his presidential campaign on signing Beckham.^[56] Though announced in mid-June, the transfer was completed on 1 July 2003, making him the third Englishman to play for the club after Laurie Cunningham and Steve McManaman. Following a successful medical on 2 July, Beckham was unveiled in front of 500 accredited journalists from 25 countries at Real's basketball facility where he was handed the Real shirt by club legend Alfredo di Stéfano.^[57] Although Beckham had worn the number seven shirt for Manchester United and England, he was unable to wear it at Madrid as it was currently assigned to club captain Raúl. He decided to wear number 23 instead, citing his admiration of basketball player Michael Jordan, who also wore the number 23 shirt, as the reason behind his decision.^[58]
In the week before the Beckham presentation, Real named Carlos Queiroz as their new head coach, meaning that Beckham got reunited with a familiar face upon arriving to Madrid since Queiroz spent the previous season as Alex Ferguson's assistant at Manchester United. In late July 2003, the club went on a tour of the Far East as part of the preparation for the coming season, but also to cash in on Beckham's huge marketing appeal in Asia where he enjoyed tremendous following. Real already made financially successful trips to Asia during previous off-seasons, but the presence of global marketing icon such as Beckham made this tour a financial smash for the club.^[59]
Shortly after his Real switch, Beckham also dropped his longtime agent Tony Stephens of SFX Europe who guided him to and through super-stardom and was one of the key players that engineered Beckham's move from Manchester to Madrid. Beckham signed on with Simon Fuller and his company 19 Entertainment who already managed the career of David's wife Victoria,^[60] appointing Terry Byrne as his personal manager.^[18][61]
In late August 2003, Real Madrid won the Spanish Super Cup over two legs versus RCD Mallorca, with Beckham scoring the last goal for the club in a 3-0 return leg win at home, thus setting the stage for the start of the league season. Playing on a star-ladden team along with Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos, Raúl, Iker Casillas, etc., Beckham didn't need much time to settle in, scoring five times in his first 16 matches (including a goal less than three minutes into his La Liga debut). Queiroz mostly favoured the adaptable 5-3-2 formation with two fullbacks Michel Salgado and Roberto Carlos often joining the attack down the wings, while Beckham quickly found a regular playing spot on the right of the 3-man midfield alongside Zidane and Figo.^[62]
Real Madrid were runners up in the Copa del Rey, were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League at the quarter-final stage and finished the league season in fourth place, meaning the team, whose president Pérez expected them to win either the Spanish league or the Champions League each season, did not match expectations.
In July 2004, while Beckham was in pre-season training in Spain, an intruder scaled a wall at the Beckham home while carrying a can of petrol. Victoria and their children were in the house at the time, but security guards apprehended the man before he reached the house.^[63]
The league season began with new head coach at helm José Antonio Camacho, but he lasted only three matches, handing in his resignation following week 3 fixture as Real dropped to eight spot in the standings. Camacho's assistant Mariano García Remón took over as on temporary basis until Real leadership found a permanent replacement. Beckham made more headlines on 9 October 2004 when he admitted intentionally fouling Ben Thatcher in an England match against Wales in order to get himself booked. Beckham was due to receive a one-match suspension for his next caution, and had picked up an injury, which he knew would keep him out of England's next match, so he deliberately fouled Thatcher in order to serve his suspension in a match that he would have had to miss anyway. The Football Association asked Beckham for an explanation of his actions and he admitted that he had "made a mistake" and apologised.^[64] He was sent off shortly afterwards, this time in a league match for Real Madrid against Valencia CF. Having received a yellow card, he was judged to have sarcastically applauded the referee and was given a second yellow card, causing an automatic dismissal, although the suspension was cancelled on appeal two days later.
By Christmas 2004, with the team sitting in second league spot García Remón was gone as Vanderlei Luxemburgo became the new head coach. However, he failed to inspire the team to the title as Real again finished the season in the runner-up spot.
On 3 December 2005, Beckham was sent off for the third time that season in a league match against Getafe CF. One day later Luxemburgo got the axe and was replaced with Juan Ramón López Caro. By the end of that season, Beckham led La Liga in number of assists.

Warming up with Real Madrid in August 2006

During the season, Beckham established football academies in Los Angeles and east London and he was named a judge for the 2006 British Book Awards.^[65] Real Madrid finished second to Barcelona in the 2005–06 La Liga, albeit with a large 12-point gap, and reached the last sixteen only in the Champions League after losing to Arsenal. The season also marked the end of an era for the club as Pérez resigned his president post in January 2006 with Vicente Boluda named as replacement on interim basis until the end of the season.
The summer 2006 off-season marked a turbulent time as club president elections were held. Ramón Calderón become the new Real president. As expected, none of the club officials that served under the previous president were kept, including head coach López Caro.
Initially out of favour with newly arrived head coach Fabio Capello, Beckham started only a few games at the beginning of the season, as the speedier José Antonio Reyes was normally preferred on the right wing. In the first nine matches Beckham started, Real lost seven.
On 10 January 2007, after prolonged contract negotiations, Real Madrid's sporting director Predrag Mijatović announced that Beckham would not remain at Real Madrid after the end of the season. However, he later claimed that he was mistranslated and that he actually said that Beckham's contract had not yet been renewed.^[66]
On 11 January 2007, Beckham announced that he had signed a five-year deal to play for Los Angeles Galaxy beginning 1 July 2007. On 13 January 2007, Fabio Capello said that Beckham had played his last game for Real Madrid, although he would continue to train with the team.^[67] A few days later while speaking to the students at Villanueva University Center in Madrid, club president Calderón said that Beckham is "going to Hollywood to be half a film star", adding "our technical staff were right not to extend his contract, which has been proved by the fact that no other technical staff in the world wanted him except Los Angeles".^[68]
However, about a month later, Capello backtracked on his earlier statement and Beckham rejoined the team for their match against Real Sociedad on 10 February 2007, scoring the opening goal from a 37-yard free kick as Real Madrid won 2-1.^[69] In his final UEFA Champions League appearance for the club, Real Madrid were knocked out of the competition by Bayern Munich at the round-of-16 stage (on the away goals rule) on 7 March 2007. Beckham had made a total of 103 appearances in the Champions League, the third highest number of any player at the time.

Beckham's last season in Real Madrid

On 17 June 2007, the last day of the La Liga season, Beckham started in his final match for the club, a 3–1 win over RCD Mallorca, which saw them clinch the title from Barcelona. With Real down 0-1 Beckham limped off the field and was replaced by José Antonio Reyes who scored two goals and the team won the season's La Liga title, their first since Beckham had signed with them and 30th overall in club's history. Although Real and Barca both finished level on points, Madrid took the title because of superior head-to-head record, capping a remarkable six-month turnaround for Beckham. With his wife and children along with celebrity friends Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes watching from a luxury box at Bernabeu Stadium, it was Beckham's second piece of silverware since he joined Real Madrid.
Towards the end of the season, as Beckham was getting back into Capello's good books after successfully fighting his way back into the first team, Real Madrid announced they would try to untie his transfer to LA Galaxy, but were ultimately unsuccessful.^[70] Several weeks before Beckham's scheduled arrival to the United States, Real's management contacted LA Galaxy's ownership group about reacquiring the player, but were quickly turned down.^[71]
A month after the conclusion of Beckham's Real career, Forbes magazine reported that he had been the party primarily responsible for the team's huge increase in merchandise sales, a total reported to top US$600 million during Beckham's four years at the club.^[72]

Los Angeles Galaxy

I'm coming there not to be a superstar. I'm coming there to be part of the team, to work hard and to hopefully win things. With me, it's about football. I'm coming there to make a difference. I'm coming there to play football ... I'm not saying me coming over to the States is going to make soccer the biggest sport in America. That would be difficult to achieve. Baseball, basketball, American football, they've been around. But I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think I could make a difference.^[73]

Beckham on going to America
From ESPN

Beckham (centre) scores his first goal for LA Galaxy

It was confirmed on 11 January 2007 that David Beckham would be leaving Real Madrid to join Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy. The following day, Beckham's official press conference was held in conjunction with the 2007 MLS SuperDraft.^[74] Though many worldwide media outlets reported the deal to be worth US$250 million,^[75] the astronomical figure was soon revealed to be something of a PR stunt engineered by Beckham's media handlers (British representative agency 19 Entertainment).^[76] In order to maximize the media effect, in the press release they decided to list the potential sum that Beckham could make over the 5-year period from all his revenue sources, which in addition to his Galaxy pay also include his personal endorsements. Beckham's actual deal with the Galaxy was a 5-year contract worth US$32.5 million in total or $6.5 million per year.^[77]
The high-profile acquisition paid immediate financial dividends for Galaxy even before Beckham joined the team. On the strength of the signing and the media frenzy it created, the club was able to pull off a new 5-year shirt sponsorship deal with Herbalife nutrition company worth US$20 million. The gate revenue peaked as well with 11,000 new season tickets holders and sold-out luxury suites (each one of the 42 inside the team's home ground, the Home Depot Center).^[78] Even the LA Galaxy owners Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) saw an immediate spike in business. Involved on many business fronts worldwide, AEG was already leveraging its Beckham association in places such as China, where the company had been working aggressively in Shanghai and Beijing for years to receive clearance to build arenas and stadiums. The company's CEO Tim Leiweke put it as follows: "Suddenly, we're known as the company that owns the team that David Beckham is going to play for, so our world changed".^[79]
In the months following the announcement, the additional terms of Beckham's contract became public knowledge. One unique contract provision was giving him the option of buying an MLS expansion franchise at a fixed price whenever he stopped playing in the league - an allowance that the league's owners had never given to a player before. Another provision was the opt-out clause after the 2009 season, meaning that should he decide so, Beckham was free to leave the club after completing year three of his 5-year contract.^[78]
In April 2007, he and wife Victoria bought an $18.2 million home on San Ysidro Drive in Beverly Hills.^[80]
Beckham's contract with LA Galaxy took effect on 11 July, and on 13 July, the famous Englishman was officially unveiled as a Galaxy player at the Home Depot Center to much fanfare and world media interest in front of more than 5,000 gathered fans and some 700 accredited media members.^[81] Beckham chose to wear number 23. It was announced that Galaxy jersey sales had already reached a record figure of over 250,000 prior to this formal introduction.^[82]
In parallel, Beckham's handlers at 19 Entertainment succeeded in putting together an unprecedented US media rollout designed to expand his carefully crafted personal brand in America. He made the cover of Sports Illustrated, a few weeks earlier Adidas launched the extensive 13-part ad campaign "Fútbol meets Football" starring Beckham and NFL running back Reggie Bush, and W magazine published a racy photo spread featuring David and wife Victoria. Meanwhile, ESPN sports network was running "Hello, Goodbye" promotional campaign and it also agreed to air David Beckham: New Beginnings documentary produced by 19 Entertainment before the friendly match versus Chelsea, which was expected to be Beckham's American debut. In addition to popularizing soccer, Beckham's arrival was used as platform for entertainment industry endeavours. Since both Beckham's and his wife's often overlapping careers were handled by 19 Entertainment that's owned by Simon Fuller, who in turn has a business relationship with the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), one of Hollywood's most powerful talent agencies, it was important also for CAA that the Beckhams made as big a splash as possible upon their arrival in the United States. On July 16, CAA had hosted a welcoming bash for David at its new eight-storey, $400 million headquarters in Century City with CAA employees reportedly instructed beforehand to line the staircase and clap for Beckham upon his arrival.^[83] That night Victoria's reality show prime-time special Victoria Beckham: Coming to America aired on NBC, drawing terrible reviews in the American press and poor US viewership ratings.^[84]

David Beckham became the Los Angeles Galaxy captain immediately upon joining the team

On Saturday afternoon, 21 July, despite still nursing the injured left ankle, Beckham made his Galaxy debut, coming on for Alan Gordon in the 78th minute of a 1–0 friendly loss to Chelsea as part of the World Series of Soccer.^[85] With a capacity crowd, along with a long Hollywood celebrity list featuring Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Eva Longoria Parker, Mary-Kate Olsen, governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Alicia Silverstone and Drew Carey among others, present at the Home Depot Center, the match was broadcast live on ESPN's main network. However, the match completely took a back seat to the Beckham spectacle, and despite the presence of worldwide football stars Andriy Shevchenko, Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard, and John Terry playing on the field, the US television cameras were firmly focused on Beckham who spent most of the match on the bench. The match's added time featured a scare for already injured Beckham when he got tackled by Steve Sidwell whose cleats struck Beckham's right foot, sending him airborne before he crumpled hard to the ground. Though the existing injury wasn't aggravated too much, Beckham's recovery process was set back by about a week. ESPN's presentation of Beckham's debut earned a 1.0 TV rating, meaning it was seen in an average of 947,000 television homes in the US - a disappointing figure given the national media buzz and two weeks of constant promotion by ESPN. For comparison ESPN2's weekly MLS broadcasts on Thursdays drew a consistent 0.2 rating on virtually no promotion while Freddy Adu's MLS debut televised on ABC back in 2004 earned a 1.3 rating.^[80] As far as sporting events that were televised that weekend in the United States, Beckham's much publicized debut drew less TV viewers than British Open golf tournament, a regular-season national baseball game, and even the Indy Racing League's Honda 200 motor race.^[80]
The day after the made-for-TV debut was reserved for the welcoming party for the Beckhams at LA's Museum of Contemporary Art, formally billed as being hosted by Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith though in actuality a CAA-organized event. Attended by many Hollywood A-listers, the lavish bash was big news in the US celebrity tabloid media, including daily entertainment TV magazines such as Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood.^[86]
Back on the soccer front, Beckham missed the next four Galaxy matches - three in the North American SuperLiga and an MLS game away at Toronto FC though he still made the trip with his teammates, sitting on the bench in street clothes. It was in Toronto on 5 August that the team got its first taste of what life would be like on the road with Beckham on the roster. Due to security concerns, it was the first time the team flew on a charter for a road match, rather than flying commercial (MLS normally forbids charter flights for away matches, claiming they provide competitive advantage, but in this case they made an exception due to the frenzy created around Beckham and resulting security issues). Also, instead of the usual MLS-mandated modest hotels, LA Galaxy stayed at the five-star Le Méridien King Edward in downtown Toronto (an expense paid for by the local Toronto promoter), while the glitz and glamour continued with the velvet rope, red carpet party at the Ultra Supper Club with Beckham as the centerpiece guest.^[87]
Two weeks after his 12-minute appearance vs. Chelsea, still not fully healed Beckham finally made his league debut as a substitute on 9 August away versus DC United in front of the sellout crowd of 46,686 (nearly three times the average DC United home crowd) at the RFK Stadium, coming on for Quavas Kirk in the 71st minute.^[88] Coming into the nationally televised match on ESPN, played under a heavy downpour with his team down a man and down a goal, even if only 70% fit, Beckham left a mark during the remaining twenty plus minutes. He hit a long free kick that Carlos Pavón failed to finish on for the equalizier, and then in the final minutes Beckham served a weighted through ball into Donovan's path that United's keeper Troy Perkins managed to break up in the last moment - the Galaxy lost 1-0. The next match on the road trip was at New England Revolution and Beckham decided to sit it out, fearing further aggrivating his ankle on the Gillette Stadium's artificial surface.
Beckham returned to the pitch the following week, again facing DC United, in the SuperLiga semi-final on 15 August. During this game he had many firsts with the Galaxy; his first start, first yellow card and first game as team captain.^[89] He also scored his first goal for the team, from a free kick, and also made his first assist, for Landon Donovan in the second half. These goals gave the team a 2–0 victory, and a place in the North American SuperLiga final versus Pachuca on 29 August.
During the SuperLiga final against Pachuca, Beckham injured his right knee, with an MRI scan revealing that he had sprained his medial collateral ligament and would be out for six weeks. He returned to play in the final home match of the season. The Galaxy were eliminated from playoff contention on 21 October, in the final MLS match of the season, a 1–0 loss to the Chicago Fire. Beckham played as a substitute in the match, bringing his season totals to eight matches played (5 league); one goal scored (0 league); and three assists (2 league).
Beckham trained with Arsenal from 4 January 2008 for three weeks, until he returned to the Galaxy for pre-season training.^[90] Beckham scored his first league goal with the Galaxy on 3 April against the San Jose Earthquakes in the 9th minute.^[91] On 24 May 2008, the Galaxy defeated the Kansas City Wizards 3–1, giving the Galaxy their first winning record in two years and moving the club into first place in the Western Conference. In the match, Beckham scored an empty-net goal from 70 yards out. The goal marked the second time in Beckham's career that he had scored from his own half, the other being a 1996 goal from the half-way line against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park.^[92] Overall, however, the Galaxy had a disappointing year, failing to qualify for the end-of-season play-offs.

Loan to Milan

Beckham playing for Milan

In 2008, Beckham's success in the England national team under Fabio Capello led to speculation that he might return to Europe in order to retain match fitness for the World Cup qualifying matches in 2009. On 30 October 2008, Milan announced that Beckham was to join them on loan from 7 January 2009.^[93] Despite this and other speculation, Beckham made it clear that the move in no way signalled his intent to leave MLS and announced his intent to return to the Galaxy in time for the start of the 2009 season in March.^[94] Many at Milan both within and outside of the club expressed serious reservations about the transfer, with it considered by some players no more than a marketing move.^[95] At Milan, he chose the number 32 shirt previously worn by Christian Vieri, as both the number 7 and 23 shirts were already used by Alexandre Pato and club captain Massimo Ambrosini, respectively. After his physical, Beckham was reportedly told by a club doctor that he believed he can continue playing football for another five years, when he will be 38.^[96]
Beckham made his Serie A debut for Milan against Roma on 11 January 2009 and played 89 minutes of the 2–2 draw.^[97] He scored his first goal in Serie A for Milan in a 4–1 victory over Bologna on 25 January, his third appearance for the club.^[98] Though Beckham was expected to return to L.A. in March, after impressing at the Italian club, scoring two goals in his first four matches and assisting on several more, rumours began to swirl that Beckham would stay in Milan, with the Italian club reportedly offering to pay a multi-million dollar fee for the English legend. The rumours were confirmed on 4 February, when Beckham stated that he was seeking a permanent transfer to Milan, in a bid to sustain his England career through the 2010 World Cup. However, Milan failed to match Galaxy's valuation of Beckham, in the US$10–15 million range.^[99]
However, negotiations continued during a month of speculation.^[100] On 2 March, the Los Angeles Times reported that Beckham's loan had been extended through mid-July.^[101] This was later confirmed by Beckham, revealing what was described as a unique "timeshare" deal, in which Beckham would play with L.A. from mid-July till the end of the 2009 MLS season.^[102]

Return to Galaxy

After his return from Milan, many LA fans showed dislike and anger towards him as he missed the first half of the season and several held up signs saying "Go home fraud", and "Part time player".^[103] However, the Galaxy had a much more successful season than in previous years, rising from third to first in the Western Conference during Beckham's time with them. He remained a key part of the squad which saw Galaxy win the 2009 Western Conference final after a 2–0 overtime victory over the Houston Dynamo.^[104] In the final on 22 November 2009, the Galaxy lost to Real Salt Lake by 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw. Beckham also scored in the shootout.^[105]

Second loan spell at Milan

In November 2009, after the end of 2009 MLS season, it was confirmed that Beckham would return to Milan for a second loan period beginning in January 2010.^[106] On 6 January 2010, Beckham made a winning return in a Milan shirt, playing 75 minutes of a 5–2 victory over Genoa.^[107] On 16 February 2010, Beckham played against Manchester United for the first time since he left the club in 2003. He played 76 minutes of the match at the San Siro – which ended 3–2 to Manchester United – before being substituted by Clarence Seedorf.^[108]
Beckham returned to Old Trafford for the second leg of the tie on 10 March 2010; he did not start the match, but was brought on for Ignazio Abate in the 64th minute to a positive reception from the Manchester United fans. The score was 3-0 for United at that point and the tie was all but decided. The match was the first time Beckham had played against Manchester United at Old Trafford and saw him create several scoring opportunities via crosses and corner kicks, but Manchester United dominated Milan and beat them 4–0, winning the tie 7–2.^[109] Following the final whistle, he aroused a bit of controversy by draping the green-and-gold scarf around his neck that was given to him by the Manchester United supporters protesting against club owner Malcolm Glazer. As the fan protests against Glazer by the people gathered around Manchester United Supporters' Trust gained steam in 2010, the green-and-gold scarf had come to be seen as an anti-Glazer symbol, and by extension many saw Beckham's decision to publicly put it on as gesture of support. However, when asked about it later Beckham responded that protests are not his business.^[110]
In Milan's next game, against ChievoVerona, Beckham suffered an torn left Achilles tendon,^[111] causing him to miss the World Cup as well as the MLS season due to the injury which is likely to take him out of action for the next six to eight months. Doctor Sakari Orava performed surgery on Beckham's tendon in Turku, Finland, on 15 March 2010.^[112] After the operation, Orava affirmed that "everything went well so far".^[113]
On 12 August 2010, with Beckham coming closer to recovering his full fitness, West Ham United chairman David Gold announced that there is an open invitation for Beckham to join the east London club in a loan deal or possibly as a club ambassador.[2]

Second return to Galaxy

On 11 September 2010, after recovering from his Achilles tendon injury, Beckham returned to the game as a substitute in the 70th minute in the Galaxy's 3–1 win over Columbus Crew.^[114]

International career

Beckham as England captain

Beckham made his first appearance for the England national football team on 1 September 1996, in a World Cup qualifying match against Moldova.^[115]
Beckham had played in all of England's qualifying matches for the 1998 World Cup and was part of the England squad at the World Cup finals in France,^[116] but the team's manager Glenn Hoddle publicly accused him of not concentrating on the tournament,^[117] and he did not start in either of England's first two matches. He was picked for their third match against Colombia and scored from a long-range free kick in a 2–0 victory, which was his first goal for England.
In the second round (last 16) of that competition, he received a red card in England's match against Argentina.^[118] Beckham, after having been fouled by Diego Simeone, kicked Simeone whilst lying on the floor, striking him on the calf muscle. Simeone later admitted to trying to get Beckham sent off by over-reacting to the kick and then, along with other members of his team, urging the referee to send Beckham off.^[119] The match finished in a draw and England were eliminated in a penalty shootout. Many supporters and journalists blamed him for England's elimination and he became the target of criticism and abuse, including the hanging of an effigy outside a London pub, and the Daily Mirror printing a dartboard with a picture of him centred on the bullseye. Beckham also received death threats after the World Cup.^[120]
The abuse that Beckham was receiving from English supporters peaked during England's 3–2 defeat by Portugal in Euro 2000, a match where Beckham set up two goals, when a group of England supporters taunted him throughout the match.^[121] Beckham responded by raising his middle finger and, while the gesture attracted some criticism, many of the newspapers that had previously encouraged his vilification asked their readers to stop abusing him.^[122]
On 15 November 2000, following Kevin Keegan's resignation as England manager in October, Beckham was promoted to team captain by the caretaker manager Peter Taylor, and then kept the role under new manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. He helped England to qualify for the 2002 World Cup Finals, with their performances including an impressive 5–1 victory over Germany in Munich. The final step in Beckham's conversion from villain to hero happened in England's 2–2 draw against Greece on 6 October 2001. England needed to win or draw the match in order to qualify outright for the World Cup, but were losing 2–1 with little time remaining. When Teddy Sheringham was fouled eight yards (7 metres) outside the Greek penalty area, England were awarded a free-kick and Beckham ensured England's qualification with a curling strike of the kind that had become his trademark. Shortly afterwards, he was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2001. He once again finished runner-up, to Luís Figo of Portugal, for the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
Beckham was partially fit by the time of the 2002 World Cup and played in the first match against Sweden. Beckham scored the winning goal of the match against Argentina with a penalty, causing Argentina to fail to qualify for the knockout stage. England were knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Brazil. The following month, at the opening ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, Beckham escorted Kirsty Howard as she presented the Jubilee Baton to the Queen.
Beckham played in all of England's matches at Euro 2004, but the tournament was a disappointment for him. He had a penalty saved in England's 2–1 defeat to France and missed another in a penalty shootout in the quarter-final match against Portugal. England lost the shootout thus going out of the competition.
Beckham became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in January 2005 and was involved in promoting London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.^[123] In October 2005, Beckham's sending off against Austria made him the first ever England captain to be sent off and the first (and only) player to be sent off twice while playing for England. He captained England for the 50th time in a friendly international against Argentina the following month.
In England's opening game at the 2006 World Cup, against Paraguay on 10 June 2006, Beckham's free kick led to an own-goal by Carlos Gamarra as England won 1–0. In England's next match, played against Trinidad and Tobago on 15 June 2006, Beckham's cross in the 83rd minute led to a Peter Crouch goal, which put England into the lead 1–0. Beckham gave another assist to Steven Gerrard. In the end they won 2–0. He was named Man of the Match by tournament sponsor Budweiser for this game.
During England's second round match against Ecuador, Beckham scored from a free kick in the 59th minute, becoming the first ever English player to score in three separate World Cups,^[124] and giving England a 1–0 victory and a place in the quarter-finals. He was sick before the game and vomited several times as a result of dehydration and illness after he scored the winning goal.
In the quarter-final against Portugal, Beckham was substituted following an injury shortly after half time and the England team went on to lose the match on penalties (3–1), the score having been 0–0 after extra time. After his substitution, Beckham was visibly shaken and emotional for not being able to play, being in tears at one point.
A day after England were knocked out of the World Cup, an emotional Beckham made a statement in a news conference saying that he had stepped down as England captain,^[125] saying, "It has been an honour and privilege to captain my country but, having been captain for 58 of my 95^[126] games, I feel the time is right to pass on the armband as we enter a new era under Steve McClaren." (Beckham had actually won 94 caps up to that point.) He was succeeded by Chelsea captain John Terry.^[127]
Having stepped down as captain after the World Cup, Beckham was dropped completely from the England national team selected by new coach Steve McClaren on 11 August 2006. McClaren claimed that he was "looking to go in a different direction" with the team, and that Beckham "wasn't included within that." McClaren said Beckham could be recalled in future. Shaun Wright-Phillips, Kieran Richardson, and the World Cup alternative to Beckham, Aaron Lennon, were all included, although McClaren eventually opted to employ Steven Gerrard in that role.

Beckham takes the free kick against Brazil from which John Terry scored

On 26 May 2007, McClaren announced that Beckham would be recalled to the England squad for the first time since stepping down as their captain. Beckham started against Brazil in England's first match at the new Wembley Stadium and put in a positive performance. In the second half, he set up England's goal converted by captain John Terry. It looked as though England would claim victory over Brazil, but newcomer Diego equalised in the dying seconds. In England's next match, a Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia, Beckham sent two trademark assists for Michael Owen and Peter Crouch, helping England to prevail 3–0.
Beckham had assisted in three of England's four total goals in those two games,^[128] and he stated his desire to continue to play for England after his move to Major League Soccer.
On 22 August 2007, Beckham played in a friendly for England against Germany, becoming the first ever to play for England while with a non-European club team.^[129] On 21 November 2007, Beckham earned his 99th cap against Croatia, setting up a goal for Peter Crouch to tie the game at 2–2. Following the 2–3 loss, England failed to qualify for the Euro 2008 Finals. Despite this, Beckham said that he has no plans to retire from international football and wanted to continue playing for the national team.^[130] After being passed over by new England coach and Beckham's former manager at Real Madrid, Fabio Capello, for a friendly against Switzerland which would have given him his hundredth cap; Beckham admitted that he was not in shape at the time, as he had not played a competitive match in three months.^[131]
On 20 March 2008, Beckham was recalled to the England squad by Capello for the friendly against France in Paris on 26 March. Beckham became only the fifth Englishman to win 100 caps. Capello had hinted on 25 March 2008 that Beckham had a long term future in his side ahead of crucial qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup.^[132] On 11 May 2008, Capello included an in-form Beckham in his 31 man England squad to face the United States at Wembley Stadium on 28 May before the away fixture with Trinidad and Tobago on 1 June. Beckham was honoured before the match by receiving an honorary gold cap representing his 100th cap from Bobby Charlton, and was given a standing ovation from the crowd. He played well and assisted John Terry on the match-winning goal. When substituted at half-time for David Bentley, the pro-Beckham crowd booed the decision.^[133] In a surprise move, Capello handed Beckham the captaincy for England's friendly against Trinidad and Tobago on 1 June 2008. The match was the first time since the 2006 World Cup that Beckham had skippered England and marked a dramatic turnaround for Beckham. In two years, he had gone from being dropped completely from the England squad to being reinstated (though temporarily) as England captain.^[134]
During the 2010 World Cup Qualifier against Belarus in which England won 3–1 in Minsk, Beckham came off the bench in the 87th minute to earn his 107th cap making him England's 3rd highest capped player in history, over-taking Bobby Charlton in the process. On 11 February 2009, Beckham drew level with Bobby Moore's record of 108 caps for an English outfield player, coming on as a substitute for Stewart Downing in a friendly match against Spain.^[135] On 28 March 2009, Beckham surpassed Moore to hold the record outright when he came on as a substitute in a friendly against Slovakia, providing the assist for a goal from Wayne Rooney in the process.^[136]
In all, Beckham had made 16 appearances out of a possible 20 for England under Capello until his ruptured Achilles tendon of March 2010 ruled him out of selection for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.^[13] His last game for England before injury had been on 14 October 2009 as a substitute in England's last World Cup qualifying game, which ended England 3 – 0 Belarus.^[13] While unable to play, Beckham still went to the tournament as part of the England back-room staff, acting as a mediator between management and the players.^[137]
After a poor performance from England at the World Cup Capello remained as manager, but was under pressure to revamp the England squad for the imminent UEFA Euro 2012 qualification campaign. He unveiled a new team at the next England match, a home friendly game against Hungary on 11 August 2010, with Beckham still unavailable for selection but aiming for a return to playing in the MLS by the following month.^[13] In the post-match interview, Capello said of the prospect of the now 35-year-old Beckham playing any future competitive matches for England, that "I need to change it. David is a fantastic player but I think we need new players for the future", referring to the new players that play in Beckham's right midfield position, including Theo Walcott and Adam Johnson, adding "This is the future of the team under Fabio Capello or another manager".^[13] He said that Beckham may be selected for one last friendly game, stating, "If he is fit, I hope we will play one more game here at Wembley so the fans can say goodbye". In response to the comments, Beckham's agent released a statement reiterating Beckham's position that he had no desire to retire from international football, and would always be make himself available for selection for England if fit and if needed.^[13]

International goals

As of 28 October 2009

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Reports
1.	26 June 1998	Stade Félix Bollaert, Lens	Colombia	2–0	2–0	1998 FIFA World Cup	[3]
2.	24 March 2001	Anfield, Liverpool	Finland	2–1	2–1	2002 FIFA World Cup Qual.	[4]
3.	25 May 2001	Pride Park, Derby	Mexico	3–0	4–0	Friendly match	[5]
4.	6 June 2001	Olympic Stadium, Athens	Greece	2–0	2–0	2002 FIFA World Cup Qual.	[6]
5.	6 October 2001	Old Trafford, Manchester	Greece	2–2	2–2	2002 FIFA World Cup Qual.	[7]
6.	10 November 2001	Old Trafford, Manchester	Sweden	1–0	1–1	Friendly match	[8]
7.	7 June 2002	Sapporo Dome, Sapporo	Argentina	1–0	1–0	2002 FIFA World Cup	[9]
8.	12 October 2002	Tehelné pole, Bratislava	Slovakia	1–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.	[10]
9.	16 October 2002	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton	Macedonia	1–1	2–2	UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.	[11]
10.	29 March 2003	Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz	Liechtenstein	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.	[12]
11.	2 April 2003	Stadium of Light, Sunderland	Turkey	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.	[13]
12.	20 August 2003	Portman Road, Ipswich	Croatia	1–0	3–1	Friendly match	[14]
13.	6 September 2003	Gradski, Skopje	Macedonia	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.	[15]
14.	18 August 2004	St James' Park, Newcastle	Ukraine	1–0	3–0	Friendly match	[16]
15.	9 October 2004	Old Trafford, Manchester	Wales	2–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup Qual.	[17]
16.	30 March 2005	St James' Park, Newcastle	Azerbaijan	2–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup Qual.	[18]
17.	25 June 2006	Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, Stuttgart	Ecuador	1–0	1–0	2006 FIFA World Cup	[19]

Coaching career

Due to an injury suffered to his torn left Achilles tendon, Beckham was forced to miss the 2010 FIFA World Cup as a player. On 14 May 2010 it was announced that Beckham would work as a mediator between management and the players, and as an English member of the coaching staff for the England national football team at the tournament.^[137] As an agreement between Beckham, his representatives, his club, Los Angeles Galaxy and Fabio Capello, the former England captain was on the plane to South Africa on June 2.

Discipline

Former manager Alex Ferguson said that he "practised with a discipline to achieve an accuracy that other players wouldn't care about."^[138] He maintained his training routine at Real Madrid and even when his relationship with management was strained in early 2007, Real Madrid president Ramón Calderón and manager Fabio Capello praised Beckham for maintaining his professionalism and commitment to the club.^[139][140]
Beckham was the first England player ever to collect two red cards and the first England captain to be sent off.^[141] Beckham's most notorious red card was during the 1998 FIFA World Cup after Argentina's Diego Simeone had fouled him, Beckham lashed out with his leg and the Argentine fell.
He amassed 41 yellow cards and four red cards for Real Madrid.^[142]

Honours

Club

Manchester United

• Premier League (6): 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03
• FA Cup (2): 1995–96, 1998–99
• UEFA Champions League (1): 1998–99
• Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999
• FA Community Shield (4): 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997
• FA Youth Cup (1): 1992

Real Madrid

• La Liga (1): 2006–07
• Supercopa de España (1): 2003

Los Angeles Galaxy

• Western Conference (1): 2009

International

England

• Tournoi de France: 1997
• FA Summer Tournament: 2004

Individual

• Premier League Player of the Month (1): August 1996
• PFA Young Player of the Year (1): 1996–97
• Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year (1): 1996–97
• UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (1): 1998–99
• UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year (1): 1998–99
• Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992–93 to 2001–02):
  • Domestic & Overall Team of the Decade
  • Goal of the Decade (vs. Wimbledon, 17 August 1996)
• BBC Sports Personality of the Year (1): 2001
• FIFA 100^[143]
• ESPY Award – Best Male Soccer Player: 2004^[144]
• ESPY Award – Best MLS Player: 2008^[144]
• English Football Hall of Fame: 2008

Orders and special awards

• Officer in the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II: 2003
• United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador (2005–present)
• "Britain's Greatest Ambassador" – 100 Greatest Britons awards^[145]
• The Celebrity 100, number 15 – Forbes, 2007^[146]
• Number 1 on the list of the 40 most influential men under the age of 40 in the UK^[147] – Arena, 2007
• Time 100: 2008^[148]
• Gold Blue Peter Badge winner, 2001.

Statistics

Club	Season	League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Other[149]		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Manchester United	1992–93	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	1993–94	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Preston North End (loan)	1994–95	5	2	0	0	0	0	–		0	0	5	2
Manchester United	1994–95	4	0	2	0	3	0	1	1	0	0	10	1
	1995–96	33	7	3	1	2	0	2	0	0	0	40	8
	1996–97	36	8	2	1	0	0	10	2	1	1	49	12
	1997–98	37	9	4	2	0	0	8	0	1	0	50	11
	1998–99	34	6	7	1	1	0	12	2	1	0	55	9
	1999–2000	31	6	–		0	0	12	2	5	0	48	8
	2000–01	31	9	2	0	0	0	12	0	1	0	46	9
	2001–02	28	11	1	0	0	0	13	5	1	0	43	16
	2002–03	31	6	3	1	5	1	13	3	0	0	52	11
	Total	265	62	24	6	12	1	83	15	10	1	399	87
Real Madrid	2003–04	32	3	4	2	–		7	1	2	1	45	7
	2004–05	30	4	0	0	–		8	0	0	0	38	4
	2005–06	31	3	3	1	–		7	1	0	0	41	5
	2006–07	23	3	2	1	–		6	0	0	0	31	4
	Total	116	13	9	4	–		28	2	2	1	155	20
Los Angeles Galaxy	2007	5	0	0	0	–		–		2	1	7	1
	2008	25	5	0	0	–		–		0	0	25	5
Milan (loan)	2008–09	18	2	0	0	–		0	0	2	0	20	2
Los Angeles Galaxy	2009	11	2	0	0	–		–		4	0	15	2
Milan (loan)	2009–10	11	0	0	0	–		2	0	0	0	13	0
	Total	29	2	0	0	–		2	0	2	0	33	2
Los Angeles Galaxy	2010	3	0	0	0	–		–		0	0	3	0
	Total	44	7	0	0	–		–		6	1	50	8
Career total		459	86	33	10	12	1	113	17	17	3	637	117

^{[150] [151]}

England national team
Year	Apps	Goals
1996	3	0
1997	9	0
1998	8	1
1999	7	0
2000	10	0
2001	10	5
2002	9	3
2003	9	4
2004	12	2
2005	9	1
2006	8	1
2007	5	0
2008	8	0
2009	8	0
Total	115	17

David Beckham Academy

In 2005, Beckham founded the David Beckham Academy football school, operating from two sites: in London and in Los Angeles, California. Further sites are planned at Cabo São Roque in Natal, Brazil, and in Asia.
It was announced in late 2009 that Beckham's Academy in London was "likely to close by the end of the year", with a mobile academy, travelling around the UK, taking its place.^[152]

Personal life

David and Victoria Beckham at the 2007 British Grand Prix at Silverstone

In 1997, Beckham started dating Victoria Adams, after she attended a Manchester United match. She was famously known as "Posh Spice" of the pop music group Spice Girls, one of the world's top pop groups at the time, and his team was also enjoying a great run of success. Therefore, their relationship instantly attracted a great deal of media attention. The couple were dubbed "Posh and Becks" by the media. He proposed to Victoria on 24 January 1998 in a restaurant in Cheshunt, England.
He married Adams at Luttrellstown Castle, Ireland, on 4 July 1999, and her name changed to Victoria Beckham. The wedding attracted tremendous media coverage. Beckham's teammate Gary Neville was the best man, and the couple's son Brooklyn, then four months old, was the ring bearer. The media were kept away from the ceremony, as the Beckhams had an exclusive deal with OK! Magazine, but newspapers were still able to obtain photographs showing them sitting on golden thrones.^[153] 437 staff were employed for the wedding reception, which was estimated to have cost £500,000.^[154]
In 1999, the Beckhams purchased their most famous home in Hertfordshire, unofficially dubbed Beckingham Palace, estimated to be worth £7.5 million. David and Victoria have three sons together: Brooklyn Joseph Beckham (born 4 March 1999 in London), Romeo James Beckham (born 1 September 2002 in London, England), and Cruz David Beckham (born 20 February 2005 in Madrid, Spain [the word "cruz" is Spanish for "cross"]). Both Brooklyn and Romeo's godfather is Elton John and their godmother is Elizabeth Hurley.^[155] They have stated that they would like to have more children, especially a daughter.^[156]
In April 2007, the family purchased their new Italian villa in Beverly Hills, to coincide with Beckham's transfer to the Los Angeles Galaxy in July. The mansion, priced at $22 million, is near the homes of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and talk-show host Jay Leno, in an exclusive gated community in the hills overlooking the city.
In January 2010, Beckham revealed that he had started taking a pasta course at a local cooking school in Milan to fulfill a longtime desire of his.^[157]

Affair claims

In April 2004, the British tabloid News of the World carried claims by Beckham's former personal assistant Rebecca Loos that he and Loos had an extramarital affair.^[158][159] A week later, the Malaysian-born Australian model Sarah Marbeck claimed that she had slept with Beckham on two occasions. Beckham dismissed both accusations as "ludicrous".^[160] There has never been any proof of any of the allegations of Beckham's claimed infidelity.^[161] In an interview with W Magazine, Victoria Beckham told a reporter, "I'm not going to lie: it was a really tough time. It was hard for our entire families. But I realised a lot of people have a price." ^[162]

Legal issues

In December 2008, Beckham and his bodyguard were sued by paparazzi photographer Emicles da Mata, who claimed that he was assaulted by them when attempting to take a picture of Beckham in Beverly Hills. Da Mata is seeking unspecified damages for assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.^[163]
In September 2010 Beckham has announed that he is suing prostitute Irma Nici and several others over claims in the magazine In Touch that he had had sex with her.^[164]

Fame beyond football

Beckham's fame extends beyond the pitch; in much of the world his name is "as instantly recognisable as that of multinational companies like Coca-Cola and IBM."^[165] Beckham's relationship and marriage to Victoria, who has been famous in her own right as part of the musical group Spice Girls, contributed to David's celebrity beyond football.
Beckham became known as a fashion plate, and together with Victoria, the couple became lucrative spokespeople sought after by clothing designers, health and fitness specialists, fashion magazines, perfume and cosmetics manufacturers, hair stylists, exercise promoters, and spa and recreation companies. One recent example is a new line of aftershave and fragrances called David Beckham Instinct.^[166] In 2002 Beckham was hailed as the ultimate "metrosexual" by the man who invented the term^[167][168] and has been described as such by numerous other articles since. The Beckhams were reportedly paid $13.7 million in 2007 to launch his fragrance line in the US. In the world of fashion, David has already appeared on the covers of many magazines. U.S. covers have included the men's magazine Details, and with his wife for the August 2007 issue of W.^[169] According to Google, "David Beckham" was searched for more than any other sports topic on their site in 2003 and 2004.^[170] The search engine Ask Jeeves named Beckham in December 2009 as the third most online searched person in the last decade. The findings are based on online activity by British users of the search engine.^[171]
Upon their arrival in Los Angeles on 12 July 2007, the night before Beckham's formal introduction, Los Angeles International Airport was filled with paparazzi and news reporters.^[172] On the next night, Victoria appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to talk about the their move to LA, and presented Leno with a number 23 Galaxy jersey with his own name on the back. Victoria also talked about her NBC TV show Victoria Beckham: Coming to America^[173] On 22 July, a private welcoming party was held for the couple at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. A-list celebrities attending included Steven Spielberg, Jim Carrey, George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Oprah Winfrey.^[174]
Beckham's many endorsement deals make him one of the most recognisable athletes throughout the world. On 31 December 2008, it was announced that Pepsi Co. was ending its endorsement deal with the player after a 10-year collaboration.^[175] Beckham has several eponymous video games, including Go! Go! Beckham! Adventure on Soccer Island, a platform game for the Game Boy Advance, and David Beckham Soccer, a football game for the Xbox.^[176][177] In August 2010, Beckham signed an endorsement deal with EA SPORTS to become brand ambassador for EA SPORTS Active 2.^[178]
Beckham visited Afghanistan in May 2010 for a morale-boosting visit to British troops fighting the Taliban insurgency.^{[179][180][181]} The appearance of Beckham as well as British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Defence Secretary Liam Fox was believed to have prompted a Taliban attack on Kandahar airfield. ^[182][183]

Charitable work

Beckham has supported UNICEF since his days at Manchester United and in January 2005, the English national team captain became a Goodwill Ambassador with a special focus on UNICEF's Sports for Development program. More recently Beckham has pledged his support for the current Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign.
On 17 January 2007, Rebecca Johnstone, a 19-year-old cancer patient from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, received a surprise phone call from Beckham. After the conversation, he sent her a Real Madrid jersey with his signature on it. Rebecca died on 29 January 2007.^[184]
Beckham is a spokesman for Malaria No More, a New York City-based non-profit launched in 2006. Malaria No More's mission is to end deaths caused by malaria in Africa. Beckham appears in a 2007 public service announcement advertising the need for inexpensive bed nets. The TV spot currently airs in the U.S. on Fox Networks, including Fox Soccer Channel, and can also be seen on YouTube.^[185]
Since joining Major League Soccer, Beckham has been a very public advocate in the U.S. for related charities such as "MLS W.O.R.K.S." On 17 August 2007, he conducted a youth clinic in Harlem, along with other current and former MLS players. This was in advance of his first New York City area match the following day against the New York Red Bulls. That team's Jozy Altidore and Juan Pablo Ángel were also with Beckham, teaching skills to disadvantaged youth to benefit FC Harlem Lions.^[186]

Appearances in films

Bend It Like Beckham

Beckham never personally appeared in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham, except in archive footage. He and his wife wanted to make cameo appearances, but scheduling proved difficult, so the director used lookalikes instead.^[187]

The Goal! Trilogy

Beckham makes a cameo appearance with Zinedine Zidane and Raúl, in the 2005 film Goal!: The Dream Begins. Lookalike Andy Harmer, who played him in Bend It Like Beckham, also appears here in one party scene as Beckham.^[188] Beckham himself appears in the sequel Goal! 2: Living the Dream...^[189] in a larger role, when the film's lead character gets transferred to Real Madrid. This time the story centres around the Real Madrid team, and besides Beckham, other real life Real Madrid players also appear on and off the pitch, alongside the fictional characters. Beckham appeared in Goal! 3: Taking on the World, which was released straight to DVD on 15 June 2009.^[190]
Despite moving to Los Angeles, California, Beckham has expressed no personal interest in pursuit of acting roles, saying he is too "stiff".^[191]

Records

Beckham has captained England 59 times,^[192] one of the most in England's history.
With his free kick goal against Ecuador in the second round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Beckham gained membership into two of football's exclusive clubs: he became the only English player — and the 21st player regardless of nationality — to score in three world cups; Real Madrid teammate Raúl also achieved this feat a few days earlier.^[193] It also made him only the fifth player in World Cup history to score twice from a direct free kick; the other four were Pelé, Roberto Rivelino, Teófilo Cubillas, and Bernard Genghini (Beckham had previously scored this way against Colombia in the first round of the 1998 FIFA World Cup). All three goals were against South American teams (Colombia, Argentina, and Ecuador) and from set pieces (the two aforementioned free kicks and a penalty against Argentina).

Tattoos

Beckham has at least 17 tattoos adorning his body, including recent black-and-white image of Christ drawn on his right side, based on a painting called "The Man Of Sorrows" by Catholic artist Matthew R. Brooks done after death of his grandfather in 2009.^[194] Also there is names of his sons Romeo, Cruz and Brooklyn, name of his wife Victoria, written in Hindi, because Beckham thought it would be "tacky" to have it in English. On his right shoulder, there's an angel with the text 'In the face of adversity'.^[194] Another tattoo is a Bible verse written in Hebrew, reads אני לדודי ודודי לי הרעה בשושנים, translated into: "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine, that shepherds among the lilies." In 2004 Beckham added the four-by-six-inch "winged cross" neck tattoo prior to England's three-nation tournament soccer match against Japan in the City of Manchester Stadium.^[194][195] In his autobiography "David Beckham: My Side", Becks reveals some of his thoughts on tattoos: "The idea came to me much later, a little while after Brooklyn was born. I was talking to Mel B and her then-husband, Jimmy Gulzar, and the subject of tattoos came up. I ended up going to this Dutch guy who'd done all of Jimmy's. I'd finally realised what I wanted a tattoo to represent. Mine are all about the people in my life, my wife and sons, who I want with me always. When you see me, you see the tattoos. You see an expression of how I feel about Victoria and the boys. They're part of me."^[195]