| years = 1993–2003
1995
2003–Present
| clubs =
(loan)
Real Madrid
| caps(goals) = 265 (61)
5 (2)
94 (10)
| nationalyears = 1994-1996
1996–2006
| nationalteam = England U21
England
| nationalcaps(goals) = 9 (0)
94 (17)
| pcupdate = 28 August, 2006
| ntupdate = 1 July, 2006
}}
'''David Robert Joseph Beckham''' OBE (born May 2, 1975) is an English footballer who plays for Real Madrid. He was captain of the English national team from 15 November 2000 to 2 July, 2006. As of December 2005, Beckham is one of only five players to have appeared 100 times in the UEFA Champions League;
[ The others are Ryan Giggs, Paolo Maldini, Gary Neville and Raúl González.] He is the fifth most capped England player of all time, in addition to being the only Englishman to score in three different World Cups, he is also only the fifth player in World Cup history to score twice from direct free kicks.
Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first first-team appearance in 1992, at the age of 17. While with Manchester United he helped them win The Treble of League, FA Cup, and Champions League in 1999. He left the club to join Real Madrid in 2003. In 2006, after England's quarter-final exit at the World Cup in Germany, he stood down as captain and was then succeeded by Chelsea captain John Terry. Beckham was dropped from the England national team selected by coach Steve McClaren on 11 August 2006.
Childhood and early career
David Beckham was born in Leytonstone, East London, the son of Ted Beckham, a kitchen fitter and Sandra West, hairdresser. His maternal grandfather is Jewish, and he has spoken of the influence the religion has had on him; however, he is not known to practice Judaism or any other faith. His parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters who would frequently travel to Old Trafford by coach to attend Manchester United's home matches. Although a strong cross-country runner, regularly finishing first in his age group in the Essex cross-country championships, David had inherited his parents' love of Manchester United and his main 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. As a child he played for a local youth team called Ridgeway Rovers coached by his father, Stuart Underwood and Steve Kirby.
He was Manchester United's mascot for a match against West Ham United in 1986. Young Beckham had trials with his local club, Leyton Orient, and attended Tottenham Hotspur's school of
