The 16th May 2013 saw the announcement that the most recognisable football player in the world has declared he will retire at the end of the French season. The tributes have been flooding in from all sources of communication, from twitter to interviews, for David Beckham.
The former England captain has been in the limelight from breaking through with the illustrious “Class of 92” with Manchester United, conquering the MLS and then tackling through some of the greatest sides in Europe.
Career
As a child David was a fully dedicated Manchester United fan, and firstly came to the vision of the club when he attended a Sir Boddy Chalton School of excellence. From there he was taken in by the club to evolve into the player he is today alongside the other members of the “Class of 92” with the Neville brothers, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. He finally broke into the United first team in April 1995 against Leeds United that ended in a goalless draw. After becoming an established first team member, it wasn’t long before he had his hands on silver wear. After several years with the club David’s personal life, Marrying Victoria Adams (Spice Girl) and sponsorship/modelling deals, exploded and the Beckham brand began to take off. From here rumours arose about bust ups with his father figure of a manager Sir Alex Ferguson and it all came to an end just after the “boot incident”.
The summer of 2003, every major club in Europe was linked with the purchase of David Beckham and from there; there was only one club that was glamorous and big enough for him to sign for and he signed for Real Madrid. In Madrid, Beckham became one of the Galacticos lining up alongside Zidane, Figa, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos. During his time in Madrid, David saw 5 managers come and go in the Spanish capital before Fabio Capello arrived, and from day one the pair didn’t hit the ground running and it wasn’t long after he announced his desire to play in the MLS.
David Beckham eventually arrived in LA and was unveiled as a LA Galaxy player on his quest to increase the status of Soccer in the US. As well as being a player, David was also used as an ambassador for MLS soccer. During his time in LA David always refused to call time on his England career even after being dropped and being told its time for the younger generation and from here he finished the US season and to prove his fitness and dedication he travelled to the San Siro in Italy where he played for Italian giants AC Milan. This was duplicated the season after also refusing to lie down in the summer and fight for his England place.
When he saw his work complete in the US Beckham wanted to return to Europe and found his place in the PSG side. Only playing for a season he was fully appreciated and this was visible when he lined up in the Champions League against European power houses Barcelona. After winning the French title with PSG, he decided it was time to call time on his 20year glamorous career.
Playing for and captaining England was some of the major highlights in his career, and it started off as an uphill battle when he became public enemy number 1. He was shown a red card in a World Cup Quarter final against Argentina for a stupid reaction to a challenege. He was continuously booed and abused when he entered the field but being as dedicated and passionate towards his country as what he was, Beckham worked harder and even harder to win over the England faithful. The nation all forgot and forgave their newly appointed England captain when he was said to have taken on Greece in a final World Cup group stage game that finally saw him smash in a trademark free kick in the dying seconds of the game. He was able to get revenge and put the records straight in 2002 when Michael Owen won a penalty kick for England in which David Beckham stood tall and blasted the ball into the back of the net. David became the most capped outfield player in England’s history when he overtook England hero Bobby Moor and reset the record as 115caps.
David Beckham was adored by Manchester united fans before the country and the world took admiration towards the midfield sensation and soon became a national treasure. The presence of David Beckham within football will sadly missed but his work within the sport will be far from over as he is still an ambassador for the MLS, the continuous running of his soccer schools and the rumours of becoming a head figure within the FA.
From Everyone in England, MSL and across Europe,
Thank You!
