20 Fascinating Facts About David Beckham, Talented Football Player

David Beckham Facts – Biography

1. David Beckham (°1975), Quickly Scouted By Manchester United As A Football Talent

The unique football talent of David Beckham (born 2 May 1975) was noticeable even at a young age. When he was 11, he won the coveted Bobby Charlton Soccer Schools National Skills competition. Manchester United team officials quickly recognized his talent, and he was asked to join their youth league. At the age of only 16, he was playing for their training division and at 18, he made the club.

2. Victoria Beckham Calls Him ‘Golden Balls’

Beckham is adored by many football fans all over the world for his amazing football skills. His wife, Victoria, nicknamed her husband “Golden Balls”, due to his ‘gold-studded’ career.

3. David Beckham Donates His Paris Saint-Germain Football Salary To Charity

David Beckham has played for Manchester United, England, Real Madrid, the L.A. Galaxy and with Paris Saint-Germain. Interestingly, he will not be earning anything during his contract with the Paris Saint-Germain team, as he will be donating his entire salary to charity (photo courtesy: Paris Saint-Germain).

4. Beckham’s H&M Underwear Ads: Straight Hits

Beckham’s many H& M underwear ads have proven to be hit wonders, with some hitting millions of views in just one week. One the ads is directed by Guy Ritchie, and shows Beckham running around Beverly Hills clad only in underwear. Due to some scheduling conflicts, Beckham was not able to shoot all the scenes and a body double was used. Beckham enjoyed working on this ad, stating, “We wanted to make something different from the usual body wear commercial and have a bit of fun with it.”

.

5. David Beckham Suffers From Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

He suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Everything has to be strictly organized and, if possible, in pairs. An example of this is the three refrigerators he owns in his house. One is for food, a second for salad, and the third for drinks.

6. David Beckham: 20 Body Tattoos & Counting

Beckham, like many celebrities nowadays, is a tattoo fanatic. He has at least 20 tattoos in various places on his body. These include his wife, Victoria’s name, written in Hindi, his son’s names, Brooklyn Joseph, Romeo James and Cruz David, and his daughter Harper Seven’s name, which is tattooed on his neck. Another tattoo is a Bible verse written in Hebrew. “Most of my tattoos are memories and things that mean things to me”, he says.

7. Celebrating Wedding Anniversaries, The Beckhams Way

For their 13th wedding anniversary (Victoria & David Beckham married on 4 July 1999), Beckham planned to make his wife a self-written love book as a memo. He also rented out a US$ 27,000,000 Malibu pad for the couple to spend some time together.

8. The Beckham Boys Love Fighting Sports

David & Victoria Beckham’s sons are being trained as ‘bodyguards’ for their little sister. The youngest, Cruz has been practicing Taekwondo, Brooklyn is interested in boxing, and the oldest, Romeo, does karate. They are preparing early so that when Harper is older, “they will all be ready,” David says.

9. The Beckham Winery In Napa, California

David Beckham surprised his wife Victoria with an outrageous gift, her own winery in Napa. Both the lovebirds have a passion for wine and Beckham was more than happy to pay a significant amount for the gift. The winery is only open to close friends and family.

10. The Bend it like Beckham Movie in 2002

In 2002, a film based on Beckham’s world-renowned football skills, ‘Bend it like Beckham’ was released. Beckham and his wife had wanted to make cameo appearances in the film, but due to scheduling conflicts, they were unable to. Beckham says that he was not planning to join the acting scene because he believes himself to be “too stiff”.

.

11. Romance In Paris

Beckham loves spending time with his children, but unfortunately, due to his career moves, including to Paris, he will be spending far less time with them. The couple will be living separately for the first time in years when he plays in Paris. Victoria sees this as a way for the couple to put a ‘spark’ back in their marriage. Victoria is looking forward to a romantic Parisian rendez-vous with her husband.

12. The Successful Clothing Line Of Victoria Beckham

Victoria, a singer and fashion designer, was previously known as Posh Spice of the famous pop group, The Spice Girls. Her designer wear, which she debuted in 2008, has proved quite successful and her lines have been featured in many fashion shows, including the acclaimed New York Fashion Week. In February 2013 the BBC Radio 4 station, Woman’s Hours acknowledged her one of the 100 most powerful women in the UK.

.

13. David Beckham Scored In Three World Cups

David Beckham, a world famous football player, is the only English player to score in three world cups, all against South American teams, Colombia, Argentina and Ecuador. His free kick goals have also earned him fame, as he is the fifth player to score twice from a direct free kick in a Football World Cup game.

14. David Beckham’s Favorite Food, Delivered For Him Around The World

Beckham’s favorite meal is a traditional East London dish, pie and mash with a side of jellied eels. When residing in Paris, Beckham can’t find the meal anywhere, so he is having his favorite meal shipped to his hotel in Paris. When playing for Real Madrid in Spain, he had his meals shipped to him then as well. He has also introduced his one-year-old daughter to the traditional dish (photo: Hotels of London).

15. Almost A Career As A Cartoon Artist

Although seemingly impossible, if Beckham was not successful in football, he says he would have become an artist. He enjoys drawing cartoons, and so David Beckham says, “I would go for an artist.”

16. Lending The Gulfstream IV Jet From His Friend Tom

Beckham was considering buying a jet to make his travels from Paris to London easier. His best friend, Tom Cruise, decided to loan him his £20million Gulfstream IV jet to use, as long as Beckham purchased the fuel. Beckham played with Paris Saint-Germain for five months, and signed a five month contract with Cruise to use the jet.

17. David Beckham: Apprendre À Parler Français

Beckham takes his work seriously, at all levels. After moving to Paris to train with his new team Paris St-Germain, Beckham began to freshen up his French skills with weekly lessons. Learning the language, Beckham says, will help make his stay in Paris a more enjoyable one.

18. David Would Move Mountains For His Wife Victoria

David and Victoria Beckham are a very devoted couple. Victoria wanted Beckham to be by her side during the New York Fashion Week, but because of weather conditions, his flight had been cancelled. Beckham did not let this stop him. He waited at the airport for a flight and finally boarded a flight, which was able to get him to New York in time for his wife’s big night.

19. A Football Training Session With Bechkam? 150 reporters!

No matter what Beckham is doing, the press is sure to follow. On his first day of training with the Paris Saint-Germain, approximately 150 reporters were there to watch his important, albeit boring, training session. In the 50-minute session, Beckham entertained them with some jogging and stretching.

.

20. David Beckham’s Strong Loyalty To Manchester United

Many are questioning why Beckham decided to play for Paris Saint-Germain. He had many offers to play for the Premier Leagues, all of which he rejected. Beckham says that he would not have been able to play against Manchester United and playing for any other Premier League team would have been disloyal to the team that started his career.