Image credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock
It might be hard to believe but David Beckham turns 50 on 2 May, meaning he is now eligible to become a member of Saga’s exclusive club.
Thanks to his football skills, good looks and marriage to Posh Spice Victoria, he has become one of the most famous – and richest – people in the world.
Born in Leytonstone in 1975, the former England captain has come a long way from his roots but despite all the fame and adulation, he has managed to stay grounded and regularly pops back to his favourite East End restaurant for his beloved pie and mash.
So, as the man known as ‘Golden Balls’ – a phrase coined by Victoria after he successfully turned around his reputation following a red card in the 1998 World Cup – prepares for his golden milestone, here’s his life in numbers.
In 1996, during his first away trip for the England team, a young David saw a then Victoria Adams in the Spice Girls video for Say You’ll be There and immediately turned to his roommate Gary Neville and declared, “That’s the girl I’m going to marry.”
And after being introduced in the Manchester United players’ lounge in March 1997, Posh and Becks were born. The pair tied the knot at Luttrellstown Castle near Dublin on 4 July 1999.
They’ve certainly endured their ups and downs during their marriage but as David has previously said, “Nothing compares to what I’ve got with Victoria and that’s why I married her.”
Despite being a proud Londoner, David was a Manchester United fan and it was his dream to play for them.
“All I ever wanted to do was play for Manchester United,” he has since said.
So, after being scouted by the team and wooed by then manager Sir Alex Ferguson, David left his mum Sandra, dad Ted and sisters Lynne and Joanne at the tender age of 15 to move up to Manchester and lodged with another family in a bid to break into the squad.
In 1992, he made his first team debut and went on to win it all with the club, including the famous treble in 1999.
We all know that footballers are well paid, but Becks has outearned almost every other soccer star thanks to his advertising deals, investments and the creation of Brand Beckham.
Between him and wife Victoria – who earned more money than him when they first got together – they have a net worth of £350 million, which is only going to get bigger.
Over the years he has had lucrative contracts with Adidas, Hugo Boss, Nespresso, Stella Artois and Pepsi to name a few.
He has also invested his money into his own football club, Inter Miami, which is fast becoming one of the most marketable clubs in the world.
“Being a dad is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me,” he has said and there’s no denying he is a very devoted father.
Eldest son Brooklyn was born in 1999, followed by Romeo in 2002 and third son Cruz in 2005.
Then in 2011, the family was completed by the arrival of their first daughter, Harper Seven.
While David loves all his children equally, he has admitted he treats his only girl differently.
“Having a daughter is a whole new thing; it changes you,” he admitted.
“I have no power with that little girl, no power whatsoever. I love all my children, of course – equally – but I’m definitely stricter with the boys than I am with Harper.”
Playing and captaining the national squad was one of David’s greatest achievements and he was always so proud to represent his country.
He made his debut in 1996 and retired from international football 13 years later.
In 2000 he was captain but stepped down from that role in a tearful press conference after England were knocked out of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
But during his time in charge, David and Victoria made the England squad much more sociable by hosting pre-World Cup parties at what was then their lavish Hertfordshire home.
The family’s main residence is a £31 million mansion in London’s Holland Park, but when they’re the UK, they spend a lot of their free time at their £15 million Cotswolds estate – a converted barn near Chipping Norton, which comes with its own lake and football pitch.
Due to his commitment with Inter Miami, the couple now own a £45 million waterfront mega mansion in the city, after upgrading from their penthouse apartment.
They also own an £8 million house in Dubai and have their own £16 million yacht, on which they spend their summer holidays. But according to David, “London will always be home.”
After spending over a decade at Manchester United – which included a loan spell at Preston North End – David was sold to Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2003 after a fallout with Ferguson.
While his professional time there was a success, he has since admitted that it took a toll on his personal life.
In 2007, the Beckhams relocated to Los Angeles, where he played for LA Galaxy. He then had spells at AC Milan and Paris St Germain, before finally calling time on his illustrious career in 2013.
In 1998, David was a national hate figure after getting sent off during the World Cup against Argentina, which was blamed for England’s early exit.
He has since said the fallout was the worst time of his life and admitted, “I wasn't eating, I wasn't sleeping. I was a mess. I didn’t know what to do.”
But fast forward three years, and with England needing a goal to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, David stepped up in the 93rd minute to take a free kick.
It hit the back of the net and he instantly became the nation’s hero.
He then got the ultimate revenge by scoring a penalty against Argentina in the World Cup, to beat them in the group stages.
David and Victoria were invited to both the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011 and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.
David had built up a friendship with both princes over the years but after the brothers’ big fall-out, David has seemingly taken Kate and Wills’ side and has worked with them on several projects as well as teaming up with King Charles.
He got an OBE in 2003 and has been vocal about his desire for a knighthood.
After his first one in 1999 – a tribute to his then baby son Brooklyn inked across his lower back – David has since admitted he is “addicted” to getting tattoos and has over 70, including the names of his other children, a tribute to Victoria and a big guardian angel on his back.
His three sons have followed in his footsteps and have a number of inkings themselves.
Every issue of Saga Magazine is packed with inspirational real-life stories, exclusive celebrity interviews, brain-teasing puzzles and travel inspiration. Plus, expert advice on everything from health and finance to home improvements, to help you enjoy life to the full.
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