Is David Beckham just a fashion icon?

In the last 16 match against Argentina, Beckham received a red card after kicking Diego Simeone while on the ground, following a foul by Simeone. Sports Illustrated criticized Simeone’s theatrics, noting that he fell like a ton of bricks after Beckham retaliated. Simeone later admitted to overreacting in an attempt to get Beckham sent off. The game ended in a draw, and England were eliminated from the tournament after a penalty shootout. Beckham was widely blamed for England’s exit and became the subject of criticism and abuse. He even received death threats, with an effigy of him hung outside a London pub and the Daily Mirror printing a dartboard with his image at the centre. This is the most horrific thing I’ve seen, the media made it seem like he murdered and killed children.  

Following his poor performance in the 1998 World Cup and the subsequent backlash from fans and media, Beckham was motivated to improve his game. The 1998-99 season saw him as a crucial part of Manchester United’s treble-winning team, which included the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League. Despite speculation that he would leave England, Beckham chose to stay with Manchester United. 

During the final Premier League match of the season against Tottenham, where United needed a win to secure the title, Beckham scored the equalizer with an impressive curling shot from 12 yards out, which eventually led United to win the match and the league. He also played a pivotal role in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich, where he provided two crucial assists from corners, leading to United’s dramatic injury-time comeback victory. 

Despite these accomplishments, Beckham finished as the runner-up to Rivaldo for the 1999 Ballon d’Or. However, his stats and performances throughout the season, including winning the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award, indicate his significance to the team. In addition, his stamina, work rate, and ability to cover every part of the pitch were highly regarded by fans and experts. Beckham’s contributions in critical moments, such as opening the scoring against Arsenal, assisting Yorke against Inter Milan, and Keane’s header against Juventus in the Champions League semifinals, were highly memorable. 

In the media, it was suggested that Beckham’s wife was a bad influence on him and that it might be in United’s best interest to sell him. However, his manager publicly supported him and he remained at the club. During the 1999-2000 season, there were talks of a transfer to Juventus, but it never happened. Despite being pushed by Arsenal and Leeds United for much of the season, Beckham helped United retain the Premier League title in 1999-2000 by an 18-point margin. He scored five goals during their final 11 league games of the season, with his last goal being a swerving shot from the edge of the penalty area in their final home game against Tottenham Hotspur. 

However, by the early 2000s, Beckham’s relationship with his manager Ferguson had begun to deteriorate, possibly due to his fame and commitments outside of football. In 2000, Beckham was given permission to miss training to look after his sick son, but Ferguson was angry when Beckham’s wife was photographed at a London Fashion Week event on the same night. He fined Beckham the maximum amount allowed and dropped him for a crucial match against Leeds United. Ferguson later criticized Beckham in his autobiography, claiming he had not been “fair to his teammates.” Despite this, Beckham had a good season and helped United win the Premier League by a record margin. 

Beckham was injured during a Champions League match against Deportivo de La Coruña in April 2002, breaking the second metatarsal bone in his left foot. There was speculation that the injury might have been caused deliberately, as the player who injured Beckham was Argentine Aldo Duscher, and England and Argentina were due to meet in that year’s World Cup. 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. However, he signed a three-year contract in May and became the highest-paid player in the world at the time. 

Following an injury early in the 2002-03 season, Beckham was unable to regain his place on the Manchester United team. His relationship with his manager worsened when a furious Alex Ferguson threw or kicked a boot that struck Beckham over the eye in the changing room following an FA Cup defeat to Arsenal. The incident led to transfer speculation involving Beckham, with bookmakers offering odds on whether he or Ferguson would leave the club first. Despite this, United won the league that season, with Beckham scoring a total of 11 goals. He was still a first-choice player for England and was appointed an OBE for services to football in 2003. 

In his 12 years at United, Beckham made 265 Premier League appearances 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. He was the joint second-longest serving player at United, alongside Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, and Paul Scholes, behind Ryan Giggs. 

Real Madrid  
As the 2003 summer transfer window approached, Manchester United seemed keen to sell Beckham to Barcelona, and the two clubs even announced a deal for Beckham’s transfer. However, he ultimately joined Real Madrid, the reigning Spanish champions, for €37 million on a four-year contract. Beckham became the latest addition to the Galácticos era, a period in which club president Florentino Pérez signed global stars every summer. This news was a bitter blow to newly-elected Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who had based much of his campaign on signing Beckham. 

The transfer was completed on 1 July 2003, and following a successful medical on 2 July, Beckham was unveiled in front of 500 journalists from 25 countries at Real’s basketball facility. He was handed the famous white shirt by club legend Alfredo Di Stéfano but was unable to wear his preferred number seven shirt due to club captain Raúl’s ownership of the number. Beckham instead opted for number 23, citing his admiration for basketball player Michael Jordan. 

In the week before Beckham’s presentation, Real named Carlos Queiroz as their new head coach. Beckham was reunited with Queiroz, who had been Ferguson’s assistant at Manchester United during the previous season. 

Real Madrid won the Spanish Super Cup in late August 2003, with Beckham scoring the final goal in a 3–0 return leg win at home. Beckham settled in quickly, playing in a star-studded team that included Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Luís Figo, Roberto Carlos, Raúl, and Iker Casillas. Queiroz typically favoured the 5–3–2 formation, with Beckham playing on the right of the three-man midfield alongside Zidane and Figo. 

Real Madrid finished the season as runners-up in the Copa del Rey, were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in the quarter-final stage, and finished fourth in the league. The team did not meet the expectations of the president Pérez, who had hoped for a win in either the Spanish league or the Champions League each season. 

At the beginning of the season, José Antonio Camacho led Real Madrid, but he resigned after only three matches due to the team’s poor performance, which left them in eighth place in the La Liga standings. His assistant Mariano García Remón was appointed as a temporary replacement while the club searched for a permanent coach. Beckham grabbed headlines on 9 October 2004 when he confessed to intentionally fouling Ben Thatcher in an England match against Wales to receive a yellow card and serve his one-match suspension in a game he would have missed anyway due to an injury. The Football Association investigated his actions, and Beckham apologized for making a mistake. He was later sent off in a league match against Valencia for sarcastically applauding the referee, but the suspension was cancelled after an appeal. 

Despite sitting in second place in the league by Christmas 2004, García Remón was fired, and Vanderlei Luxemburgo was brought in as the new head coach. However, the Brazilian coach could not lead the team to the title, and they finished in second place again at the end of the season. On 3 December 2005, Beckham received his third red card of the season in a league match against Getafe CF, and the next day, Luxemburgo was sacked and replaced by Juan Ramón López Caro. At the end of that season, Beckham ranked third in La Liga in assists. 

During the season, Beckham established football academies in Los Angeles and east London and became a judge for the 2006 British Book Awards. Real Madrid finished second to Barcelona in the 2005–06 La Liga, with a large 12-point gap, and only made it to the last 16 in the Champions League after losing to Arsenal. Pérez resigned his post as president in January 2006, marking the end of an era for the club. Vicente Boluda was named as his replacement on an interim basis until the end of the season. 

The summer 2006 off-season was tumultuous as the club held presidential elections, and Ramón Calderón became the new Real president. Head coach López Caro was not kept, and initially, Beckham was out of favour with newly arrived head coach Fabio Capello. José Antonio Reyes was typically preferred on the right wing for the first few games of the season, and Real lost seven of the first nine matches Beckham started. On 10 January 2007, Real Madrid’s sporting director Predrag Mijatović announced that Beckham would not remain at Real Madrid after the end of the season. However, Mijatović later claimed that he was misunderstood and that he had actually said that Beckham’s contract had not yet been renewed. 

LA Galaxy 
On 11 January 2007, Beckham announced that he had signed a five-year deal to play for the LA Galaxy starting on 1 July 2007. On 13 January 2007, Capello said that Beckham had played his last game for Real Madrid, although he continued to train with the team. Calderón made controversial remarks about Beckham going to Hollywood and being “half a film star”. But, Capello allowed Beckham to rejoin the team for the match against Real Sociedad on 10 February 2007, and he scored the equalising goal from a 27-yard free kick, helping Real Madrid win 2–1. 

Beckham played his final UEFA Champions League match for Real Madrid against Bayern Munich at the round-of-16 stage on 7 March 2007. Real Madrid was knocked out of the competition by Bayern Munich on the away goals rule. Beckham played a crucial role in all three Madrid goals in the home game, and Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn praised his performance as “world-class”. 

Beckham’s last match for Real Madrid was on 17 June 2007, the last day of the La Liga season, in a 3–1 win over Mallorca that saw Real clinch the title from Barcelona. After limping off the field with Real down 0–1, Beckham was replaced by José Antonio Reyes, who scored two goals, leading the team to their 30th overall La Liga title and their first since Beckham had joined them. Real Madrid and Barcelona finished level on points, but Madrid won the title because of their superior head-to-head record, completing a remarkable turnaround for Beckham in just six months. 

David Beckham’s involvement with Major League Soccer (MLS) began when he was still playing for Real Madrid. On January 11, 2007, it was confirmed that he would leave Madrid in six months to join LA Galaxy, a team in the MLS. This announcement made headlines worldwide and elevated the league’s profile. Although some media outlets reported that the deal was worth US$250 million, this was actually a PR stunt engineered by Beckham’s media handlers. His actual deal with the Galaxy was a five-year contract worth US$32.5 million, or $6.5 million per year, which included his personal endorsements. 

The high-profile acquisition paid immediate financial dividends for Galaxy long before Beckham joined the team. The club was able to secure a new five-year shirt sponsorship deal with Herbalife nutrition company worth US$20 million, and gate revenue peaked with 11,000 new season ticket holders and sold-out luxury suites. LA Galaxy owners Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) also reported an immediate spike in business. AEG had been leveraging its Beckham association in places such as Shanghai and Beijing, where the company had been working aggressively for years to receive clearance to build arenas and stadiums. 

Beckham trained with Arsenal from January 4, 2008, for three weeks before returning to the Galaxy for pre-season training. He scored his first league goal with the Galaxy on April 3 against the San Jose Earthquakes, and on May 24, 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. However, the Galaxy had a disappointing year overall and failed to qualify for the end-of-season playoffs. 

In 2008, Beckham’s success in the England national team under Fabio Capello fueled rumors that he might return to Europe to maintain his match fitness for the World Cup qualifying matches in 2009. AC Milan then announced on 30 October 2008 that Beckham would be joining them on loan from 7 January 2009. Despite this and other speculation, Beckham clarified that the move did not indicate his intention to leave MLS, and declared his intention to return to the Galaxy in time for the start of the 2009 season in March. Some Milan players and personnel expressed serious reservations about the transfer, believing it to be nothing more than a marketing move. 

Loan – AC Milan 
On 20 December 2008, Beckham was introduced at Milan’s training facility by the club’s CEO Adriano Galliani. He opted to wear the number 32 shirt, which was previously worn by Christian Vieri, since both the number 7 and 23 shirts were already taken by Alexandre Pato and club vice captain Massimo Ambrosini, respectively. The following day, Beckham was presented to Milan’s home fans at San Siro, where he walked out onto the pitch and declared “Forza Milan” over the public address system before the league match against Udinese. Beckham and his wife Victoria then watched from a luxury box as Milan triumphed 5-1. 

David Beckham made his debut for AC Milan on January 11, 2009, in a Serie A match against Roma. The Englishman played for 89 minutes, providing crosses and corners despite his lack of match fitness. He put in another solid performance against Fiorentina in his home debut a week later, helping Milan to a 1-0 victory. Ancelotti’s older Milan squad was a good fit for Beckham, and he scored his first Serie A goal for the club in a 4-1 win over Bologna on January 25. Despite initially planning to return to the LA Galaxy in March, Beckham’s impressive performances in Italy led to speculation that he would stay with Milan permanently. However, negotiations between the two clubs failed to reach an agreement, and Beckham announced a “timeshare” deal in which he would return to LA in July to play with the Galaxy until the end of the 2009 MLS season. 

Upon his return to LA, Beckham faced backlash from some fans who were unhappy about his extended loan to Milan, with some even holding up signs at matches calling him a “part-time player” and a “fraud”. However, despite this, the Galaxy had one of their best seasons yet, and Beckham played a crucial role in their success. With his help, the team rose from third to first in the Western Conference standings. In the Western Conference final, they defeated the Houston Dynamo 2-0 in overtime, with Beckham remaining a key part of the squad. Although they made it to the final on November 22, 2009, they ultimately lost to Real Salt Lake in a penalty shoot-out, despite Beckham scoring in the shootout. 

Returning to LA Galaxy 
Upon his return to LA, Beckham faced backlash from some fans who were unhappy about his extended loan to Milan, with some even holding up signs at matches calling him a “part-time player” and a “fraud”. However, despite this, the Galaxy had one of their best seasons yet, and Beckham played a crucial role in their success. With his help, the team rose from third to first in the Western Conference standings. In the Western Conference final, they defeated the Houston Dynamo 2-0 in overtime, with Beckham remaining a key part of the squad. Although they made it to the final on November 22, 2009, they ultimately lost to Real Salt Lake in a penalty shoot-out, despite Beckham scoring in the shootout. 

2nd Loan spell to AC Milan  
In November of 2009, it was confirmed that Beckham would return to Milan for a second loan period beginning in January of 2010, after the end of the 2009 MLS season. Beckham made a successful return to the Milan shirt on January 6th, 2010, playing 75 minutes in a 5-2 victory over Genoa. On February 16th, 2010, Beckham played against Manchester United for the first time since he left the club in 2003, playing 76 minutes before being substituted for Clarence Seedorf. He returned to Old Trafford for the second leg of the tie on March 10th, 2010, coming on as a substitute for Ignazio Abate in the 64th minute to a positive reception from Manchester United fans. Although he created several scoring opportunities via crosses and corner kicks, Manchester United dominated Milan, beating them 4-0 and winning the tie 7-2. After the final whistle, Beckham draped a green-and-gold scarf around his neck, which was given to him by the Manchester United supporters protesting against club owner Malcolm Glazer. The scarf had come to be seen as an anti-Glazer symbol and many saw Beckham’s decision to publicly put it on as a gesture of support, but when asked about it later, he responded that protests were not his business. 

In Milan’s next game against Chievo, Beckham suffered a torn left Achilles tendon, causing him to miss the World Cup as well as the MLS season. The injury required surgery, which was performed on March 15th, 2010, by Doctor Sakari Orava in Turku, Finland. After the operation, Orava stated that it went well and that Beckham would need rehabilitation for the next few months, with a plaster cast for the next six to eight weeks. It was predicted that it would be four months before he was running again and six months before he was jumping and kicking. 

Returning to LA Galaxy 
On September 11, 2010, David Beckham made his return to the field as a substitute in the 70th minute in the LA Galaxy’s 3-1 victory over Columbus Crew after recovering from his Achilles tendon injury. He scored his first goal of the 2010 season on October 4 with his trademark free-kick in the Galaxy’s 2-1 win over Chivas USA. Later, on October 24, he scored his second goal of the season in the Galaxy’s 2-1 win over FC Dallas, which secured them their second successive Western Conference title and their first MLS Supporters’ Shield since 2002. 

During January and February 2011, Beckham trained with Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the 2011 MLS season. Rumours circulated that the club was in talks with the Galaxy to sign Beckham on loan, but the move was blocked by the Galaxy who wanted him for a full final season. As a result, Beckham only trained with the club as he had done with Arsenal three years prior. The Galaxy won the 2011 MLS cup with Beckham playing in the centre of midfield. 

Beckham scored his first goal of the season for the Galaxy on May 15 in a 4-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City with a 30-yard free kick. He repeated a feat he had achieved while playing for Preston North End by scoring directly from a corner on July 9 in a 2-1 win over Chicago Fire. Beckham finished his fifth MLS season on a high note, having his best season with the Galaxy to date and finishing second in the league in assists. On November 20, 2011, he joined an elite group of players to have won league titles in three countries when LA won their third MLS Cup against the Houston Dynamo, with Beckham and fellow designated player Robbie Keane assisting on captain Landon Donovan’s winning goal. 

After the 2011 season, Beckham’s five-year contract with the Galaxy expired on December 31, 2011. Despite being 36 years old, he stated that he did not intend to retire. Beckham was linked with Paris Saint-Germain, but on January 18, 2012, Galaxy announced that he had signed a new two-year contract to remain in Los Angeles. In May 2012, Beckham and his teammates were received by President Barack Obama at the White House following their victory. 

Beckham helped the Galaxy finish fourth in the MLS Western Conference 2012 regular season with seven goals and nine assists. The Galaxy defeated Vancouver Whitecaps FC, the San Jose Earthquakes, and Seattle Sounders FC on their way to the MLS Cup final, where they defeated the Houston Dynamo 3-1 to retain the cup. Beckham played his final game with the Galaxy in the 2012 MLS Cup Final, where he was subbed off in the 89th minute for Marcelo Sarvas and received a standing ovation at their home venue. Despite having another year remaining on his contract, he had announced that this would be his last game with the Galaxy. 

PSG 

In January 2013, news broke that David Beckham was undergoing a medical with Paris Saint-Germain, fueling speculation of a possible transfer to the Ligue 1 side before the transfer deadline. Later that afternoon, Beckham signed a five-month deal with PSG, pledging to donate his entire salary during his stint in Paris to a local children’s charity. His PSG debut came on February 24th, 2013, in a Ligue 1 home match against Marseille, where he came off the bench in the 76th minute, becoming the 400th player in the club’s history. 

Beckham added to his collection of top-flight winners’ medals when PSG beat Lyon 1-0 on May 12th, 2013, to claim the Ligue 1 title. Shortly after, on May 16th, Beckham announced his retirement from professional football at the end of the French football season. As a tribute to his illustrious career, specially designed boots were created for his final game, adorned with the colours of the Union Jack and the names of his wife and children stitched onto them. 

On May 18th, 2013, Beckham was made captain in his final home game against Brest. In this match, Beckham assisted a goal by Matuidi from a corner before being substituted off after 80 minutes. He received hugs from his fellow players and manager and a standing ovation from the fans. PSG went on to win the game 3-1. 

There has been people saying Beckham is an overrated footballer who is famous because of his looks and his wife Victoria, that he is dead ball specialist, his passing ability isn’t as good as Kevin De Bruyne, He cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn’t score many goals. Some of the best players in the world are one-footer, if you’re that good with one foot you just need the other foot to balance on. Robben, Giggs, Bale & Messi are predominately one foot. To achieve for he has and be praised by his peers. Beckham has scored 65 freekicks in his career, 18 of them are in the Premier League, that’s the most direct freekick scored in the league, its been 20 years since he left and it still hasn’t been broken yet, next highest is James Ward-Prowse with 17. James Ward-Prowse has been playing in the Premier League for 11 years, Beckham has played in the Premier League 9 seasons, 1 of them he played 4 times he was only 18 at the time. Not saying Ward-Prowse free kick ability is bad, he can easily beat Beckham’s Premier League total but there’s standards and levels, Beckham was 21 when he scored from the half way line, that pretty projected him into super stardom, he was scoring freekick since Preston when he was on loan, his first for Man Utd was away at Southampton 96, he has been playing at Old Trafford with the attendance averaging 55/58,000 over 8 seasons, the pressure playing for Man Utd is difference to other clubs, they attract more views worldwide. One of the most talked about free kick for Beckham is the one he scored against Greece, England is losing 2- 1 at Old Trafford, they need a point to Qualify for the World Cup, 93 min theres a freekick, the stuff that would go thru his head, all the 98 stuff, does he want that if he misses? Should someone else take it? Nope he scores in front of 66,000 people, he also assisted the first goal in this game, I personal think Juninho Pernambucano is the best freekick taker, but Beckham is up there with the very best. 

Here are some of the honours and accolades earned by David Beckham throughout his career: 

These are just a few of his notable honours, as Beckham has received numerous other awards and recognitions throughout his career. 

Catch you in the next one.