Beckham

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Simply the most famous footballer in the world, David Beckham's main attributes are his long-range shooting ability - especially from free-kicks - pin-point accurate crossing from the right, and seemingly limitless reserves of energy. National team The summer after he made his debut against Moldova in September 1997, Beckham was vilified in England for his sending off in the FIFA World Cup match against Argentina. He also featured at UEFA EURO 2000™ but matured considerably after being made captain in the build up to the 2002 World Cup, scoring a brilliant added-time free-kick against Greece which earned England a place at Korea/Japan. Club A lifelong Manchester United FC fan despite being born in the east London borough of Leytonstone, Beckham was part of United's much-vaunted 1992 FA Youth Cup-winning side. He established himself in the first team in the 1995/96 English double-winning season and a goal from the halfway line in the first game of the next campaign, at Wimbledon FC, marked his arrival as a star. Beckham's efforts in the treble-winning team of 1998/99 that lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy won him second place behind Rivaldo in the voting for FIFA World Player of the Year and European Player of the Year. And his coruscating form in 2001 brought another second place in the FIFA poll, behind Luis Figo. 2002/03: Beckham scored goals in the Premiership to help United to a sixth title during his time at the club. He also scored twice in the Champions League loss to Real Madrid CF, the club he was to join in the summer for €35. Did you know? David and Victoria Beckham have two sons, Brooklyn and Romeo. David has Brooklyn's name tattooed on his lower back and Romeo's across his shoulders. He also has Victoria's name imprinted on his arm in Hindi. Hala David!

Almost 600 journalists came to the presentation of David Beckham. Stations and press had offered huge sums for the first Exclusive-interview with the new star of Real Madrid. However, this right was reserved for the club itself, or better said the clubs very own TV-Station, Real Madrid TV. The interview was supposed to be lead in english and the choosen journalist was John Carlin, a top-man by El País and The Observer/ Guardian. A column of the background of this interview, you can read >>>>HERE!!! David, welcome to Madrid. Now the first thing to do is to learn Spanish soon… -For me it is very important to be able to express myself in Spanish as soon as possible. I will make an effort because I need to settle in the team as fast as I can. This move to Real is also a move to a different country, so I will try and learn the language as soon as possible. Brooklyn can say hello and bye in Spanish. Most likely he will become a bilingual person sooner than me. This signing is a challenge both in my career and in my family life. Off the field, for my wife and kids, it is going to be a new life: new school, new customs… I want to get started with it as soon as possible. Have you already got used to the idea that you are a Real Madrid player? -I met the President yesterday, I stepped on Bernabéu's pitch with Victoria and Brooklyn… So I am already thinking about the tour, the training, the first official matches of the season… I can't wait, really. Roberto Carlos said the other day that your arrival was a relief for him because he was tired of being the handsome player of the team -What can I say… He is a great player and very handsome too, of course. Once you decided to leave Manchester Utd., did you hesitate in making a choice for Real? -Although I had some other offers, I never hesitated. Real Madrid is a great Club. It was the one I wanted, the only team I could see myself playing in. There are some world top-level players in this squad, you can see so from the atmosphere and in the way the players get on with one another. I like the team spirit. You arrived amid a huge media hype, escorted by the police…Are you worried that your teammates might only remember this part of your arrival? -Nothing of all that was my choice! I am sure that once the players get to know me there will be no problem. They will realise I only want to play football, I am not different from them. Could you draw a comparison between Manchester Utd. and Real Madrid, in football terms? -I could not compare. Both teams play very good football. I must say that when we came here to play Real, it was a very tough game because they did some amazing play. This makes me more proud that they have choosen me. It is a challenge. Let's speak about some of your future teammates. Roberto Carlos, to begin with. -He is a left-back, a left midfielder or rather a forward. He plays an essential role in the team. Besides, he is very professional. We have played on several occasions and the tacklings have never been a problem, we just shook hands and that was it. This is a proof he is a great guy. We have exchanged shirts a couple of times. Ronaldo -I believe he is the best player in the world and he is proving so this year in Real. I am looking forward to assisting him, giving him good passes so that he can score more goals. He has got over a very serious injury and he is unbelievably well now. He is showing all his quality. Raúl -He is a different footballer. He works hard, harder than anybody else, all through the 90 minutes. He is got the brains for soccer. Besides, he remains calm. A great player.

Figo -People said I came here to take over his position. No way. He is one of the best world players and I will be honoured to play with him. Zidane -He is like a ballet dancer when he is playing. The way he runs, controls the ball, his assists, everything he does… He is one of the best footballers in the world, maybe the best one. A lot of competition? What matters now is that we are all in the same squad. His control kicks are just awesome, he is always in control of the play. I think he is just unbelievable. From a particular point of view, your decision to come to Real is a daring one: you will not be the star here. -I have not come here to be a star, I came just to be part of a team that is full of great footballers, some of which are stars, but, above all, it is a football team. The only thing I want to do is to play football alongside all these wonderful players. This is my wish. I am not here to be a star, but to play in a group of great players. You are going to meet an old firend of yours in Real, Carlos Queiroz. -To be honest, I was really surprised when I found out Carlos was moving to Real. It is a challenge for him too. He will be of great assistance for me because I cannot understand Spanish yet. It will be very helpful to have him, especially, during my early days here. He did a fantastic job in Manchester, mostly in the defensive aspects, but also in all sides of the play. I am sure he will also do a great job in this squad with so many good players. This is a very good team to coach. Is there any aspect of your play you think you can improve? -There are always things that you can improve. That's one of the reasons why I came to Real. I am sure I will learn many things among such a great group of players. Maybe I do not have to show anything to the people closest to me (friends and family), but there are some other people to whom I have to show that I can play in this squad. Perhaps people in Spain do not know that, besides a good footballer, you are also a great athlete. -Yes. I won two consecutive cross-country running championship when I was 15. I have always liked it and I think I do well on the field of play, but what I enjoy the best is to play in a team and work hard for it. Jorge Valdano in one of his books mentioned the way you kick the ball. When did you realise you had this gift? -My dad is to blame for that. He used to take me to the training with him. He taught me how to kick the ball, he made me practise…But I do not know when I realised I had this gift, I will let other people talk about it. Your strong point is free kicks. Do you do any particular training for them? -Yes, I practise every day. I take 20 or 30 free kicks after each training session. You can always improve if you keep practising. It is never enough, you can always improve no matter how good you are. One of my best free kicks was at the game with Madrid when I scored two goals. The first one was very special; firstly, because I beat one of the best world keepers, Iker Casillas; secondly, because I had not been in the starting lineup an I had to prove my value; and thirdly, because I think that, looking back, it has been the most beautiful one in my career, the best one. In Spain, there has been some controversy about your future position in the squad. Where do you think you will be playing at? -We have not discussed my position. The first thing I have to do is earn it, just like everybody else in the team. What makes this squad such a great one is that its players have to fight to get a position in the starting lineup. I know I have to fight hard, and I will do so. Have you realised you are no longer in Manchester? -The rumours about my future started six or seven months ago. Everything was going fine until that moment, but once it was clear I had to leave (two or three weeks ago), I began to get things straight. I had no doubt that, if I was to leave Manchester, it would have to be to play in Real. What would be the effect of yoour departure on former team? -I have been in Manchester for 13 years. It has been my team ever since I was a kid and, over these years, it has been my family, and it will be so in the future. I have very good friends there, but big clubs always look ahead and now I have to carry on with my life here. Manchester has a future without me, and I have my future now in one of the best clubs in the world. How was your relationship with Alex Ferguson? -With the usual ups and downs with your boss, just like in any job. All I can say is that he has played a very important role in my life. He gave me the chance to start my career and play in Manchester for a long time. He has been an essential figure in my sporting life, just like a sort of father figure, so I will always feel grateful to him. Why did you not play the second leg of the Champions League semifinal against Madrid? -It is certain it was for profesional or sporting reasons. I wanted very badly to appear, because, above all, I am a footballer and, apart from my family, football is the most important thing for me. It was a bit of an upset for me not to be in the starting lineup, though I got my chance later, showing all I can do. How has your son Brooklyn taken this change? -He is eager to wear the white shirt. I buy him a kit in every city or country I visit. He already had the Real Madrid one, but he could only wear it at home. Now he can put it on whenever he wants to. He loves it. What are you going to remember the most from your former squad? -There are many things… I keep a lot of memories, like the three titles we won in 1999, or when United fans helped me after 1998 World Cup. I would not have been able to go on without their support. My friends and the people there are just like a family. It has been 13 years of my life. I will miss it. How are you getting on with your condition as a celebrity? -It is means no problem for me. This part of my life is under control. True that I was amazed at the hype I caused during my Asian tour; I would have preferred it had been a hype caused by my team. It has been a good experience. Fame is part of my life, but football is more so. I am a footballer and I have fans because I play football, as simple as that. I am aware of this fact and I think I am in control of this aspect. How do you manage to keep these two aspects separate? -It is no problem. I am a calm person, very balanced mentally, plus I have a strong and sound family to support me. Yes, I have been all around Asia, but, after that, I come back home and lead a normal life with my family. I go to the supermarket, people are surprised to see me buying some fruit, but I enjoy it. I try to keep both things separate. Real Madrid fans have nothing to worry about because this part of me is not going to affect my play, which is what matters. Will I go to the supermarket in Madrid? Sure I will, people will see me. I drive myself, I do not like other people to drive for me. I enjoy doing normal things, that is what keeps me balanced. Cantona said that you left Manchester because you could not cope with the marketing part. -I am a football player. My opinion is that everything else is just an extra and it is caused by my profession as footballer. Do you think that interest of the Media are going will be worse than in England? -It might be worse or it might not, but, either way, life goes on. My family is going to have a good life here, I am sure of that. They are going to be happy anywhere as long as I am happy. My wife will be able to work, the kids will go to school and I will be playing football in a great team with the purpose of winning as many title as possible. by realmadrid.com back to start

"Ich möchte kein Star sein, ich will Fußball spielen" Real Madrids neuer Superstar David Beckham hat die Herzen der Spanier bei seiner offiziellen Präsentation im Sturm erobert. "Gracias", sagte der 28 Jahre alte Engländer am Mittwoch in gebrochenem Spanisch, als er vom Ehrenpräsidenten des Clubs, dem legendären Alfredo Di Stéfano (76), zur großen Überraschung aller das Trikot mit der "23" überreicht bekam. Es ist die gleiche Nummer, die das US-Basketball-Idol Michael Jordan trug. "Für mich ist ein Traum in Erfüllung gegangen", ergänzte "Becks". Die Vorstellung, eine perfekte Kombination aus Show und Kommerz, wurde von 547 Journalisten aus 63 Ländern verfolgt - rund zwei Milliarden Fernsehzuschauer konnten das Spektakel live miterleben. Der bisherige Star von Manchester United erschien am Mittag - mit hellblauem Jacket, aufgeknöpftem weißen Hemd und Zopf - zu den Klängen der von Plácido Domingo gesungenen Real-Madrid-Hymne auf der Bühne der Raimundo-Saporta-Halle, der Basketball-Arena des Clubs. Die Uhrzeit wurde mit Bedacht gewählt, denn in Asien, wo "Becks" die meisten Fans hat, war Prime time. "Willkommen im Verein Deiner Träume", begrüßte ihn Vereinspräsident Florentino Pérez, der den Star-Akteur zugleich als "weltweite Ikone" und "Symbol der Moderne" würdigte, der alle verzaubere.

Beckham erobert Madrid Mit Jordans "23" die USA erobern "Wir haben ihn aber als einen der besten englischen Fußballer aller Zeiten verpflichtet", betonte er. Dass der für 35 Millionen Euro zu Real gewechselte "Spice Boy" aber auch als Werbemagnet die Kassen klingeln lassen soll, daran ließ Pérez keinen Zweifel: "Mit ihm sind wir auch außerhalb des Spielfeldes noch größer." Dazu passt die "23": Zwar ist es auch die Nummer, die Real-Stürmer Pedro Munitis trug, doch der gewiefte Clubchef dürfte damit auch die Eroberung des US-Markts im Visier haben, wo Superstar Jordan dieser Zahl Kultstatus verliehen hat. Die T-Shirts mit Beckhams Schriftzug kamen noch am Mittwoch in den Handel - für 63 Euro das Stück. Beckham sorgt für Tränen der Rührung "Ich habe eine wundervolle Familie und ein tolles Leben, aber der Fußball bedeutet mir alles", sagte der vor Charme sprühende Beckham. Dann ließ er zur großen Begeisterung ein "Hala, Madrid" folgen, den Schlachtruf der "Königlichen". Richtig bewegend wurde es danach, als er vor Hunderten Fans draußen auf dem Rasen posierte: Ein Elfjähriger namens Alfonso überwand die Absperrung und rannte mit nacktem Oberkörper - von einem Leibwächter verfolgt - auf das Mittelfeld-As zu. Dieser wies den Bodyguard zurück, schloss den Jungen liebevoll in die Arme und schenkte ihm ein Trikot. Nicht nur Alfonso weinte, auch auf der Tribüne und vor den TV-Schirmen flossen Tränen der Rührung - im kinderverrückten Spanien eine Geste, mit der Beckham auch Nicht-Fußballfans für sich gewonnen haben dürfte. "Ich möchte kein Star sein, ich will Fußball spielen" Im Interview mit dem TV-Sender des Vereins nahm der "Flankengott" den Anhängern dann auch noch die Furcht, er werde die Lokalhelden in den Schatten stellen. "Raúl ist der Kopf Real Madrids" - und daran werde sich nichts ändern. "Ich möchte kein Star sein, ich will Fußball spielen und kann meinen ersten Einsatz kaum noch erwarten". Dass Beckham keinen Anspruch auf die "7" erhebt, die bei Real unbestritten Raúl gehört, wurde ebenso mit Erleichterung registriert. "Becks" Ehefrau, Ex-Spice Girl Victoria Adams, bekam zur Begrüßung eine weiße Katze geschenkt. Auch dies hatte Symbolcharakter: Weiß ist die Farbe Reals und als "Katzen" (Gatos) bezeichnet man die waschechten Madrilenen. Mit der spanischen Kultur scheint die frühere "Posh Spice" jedoch noch nicht sehr vertraut: Als sie kürzlich bei einer Benefizparty im Hause Elton Johns ein Kosaken-Duo sah, soll sie ihrem Mann gesagt haben: "Schau mal, Flamenco-Tänzer, ich liebe es!". back to start

Hugo Gatti: BECKHAM ES UN VIKINGO Cuando compraron a Beckham yo dudaba de él porque creía que era un jugador mediático, que era lindo y que jugaba por marketing. Hoy es el mejor jugador de la Liga. Ha tenido la suerte de caer en un club en el que los compañeros te devuelven balones y no ladrillos. Su fútbol ha crecido por el fútbol de los grandes que tiene alrededor. Habla un idioma galáctico. Tiene una cosa extra que no posee el resto de compañeros y es que si se tiene que partir la cara por el Madrid lo hace. Esta lesión es difícil de cicatrizar. La lástima que ha tenido el Madrid es que no haya podido asociar a Becks con Makelele porque habrían sido la pareja perfecta, y en el Madrid más, porque en este club todo se muestra en su mejor versión. Beckham es un jugador bravo y por sus huevos va a querer jugar. Se está lesionando mucho porque todos se quieren hacer famosos pegando a un jugador tan lindo. Sobre todo los argentinos. Este es un chico que quiere luchar pero que no quiere pelear. Este prefiere jugar el balón y no morir por la boca. El Madrid sin Beckham sigue siendo grande pero ahora el inglesito es el primer galáctico. Este Becks es indispensable. Estoy seguro de que va a jugar porque Sevilla es arte y éste es un artista. El miedo de su lesión lo superará con carácter. Me da la sensación de que es rico con los ricos y pobre con los pobres y si tiene que elegir se queda con los pobres. Es un vikingo con mayúsculas. back to start

A new kind of sports celebrity David Beckham, worshiped from Toledo (Spain, not necessarily Ohio) to Tokyo, isn't afraid to admit that he's in touch with his feminine side By Samuel Loewenberg Special to the Tribune MADRID -- The most popular athlete in the world likes wearing sarongs and going to the hairdresser. It isn't Anna Kournikova, and it sure isn't Michael Jordan. But if it were possible to somehow genetically mix the two, throw in Johnny Depp's cheekbones and Jimmy Stewart's temperament -- well, then you'd have something resembling David Beckham. David who? David Beckham who -- as every 13-year-old outside the United States, and anybody here who saw "Bend It Like Beckham" knows -- is the new star of the Real Madrid soccer team. Beckham has no equivalent in the U.S. He's not just an extraordinary athlete, nor is he just fabulous looking. He's humble, he's a family man, a working class boy from East London who is married to the former girl group singer Posh Spice (real name, Victoria Adams). Which still doesn't explain why he's worshiped from Toledo to Tokyo by millions of fans. Women certainly like his looks, but it's the boys who study his latest hairstyle as carefully as they do his soccer stats. And although he is British, his appeal transcends national borders. "Everybody is interested in Beckham now in Spain -- it doesn't matter if you like futbol or not," said Lourdes Garzon, features editor at the Spanish edition of Marie Claire. "He is a new kind of celebrity." The fashionistas of the world have dubbed Beckham a metrosexual, a newly coined phrase for a straight guy who is into fashionable clothes, elaborate hairstyles and unrestrained shopping. Beckham freely admits he is in touch with his feminine side. Not a sentiment you'd expect to hear from Tiger Woods or Cal Ripken.

So in case you were worried this is an article about sports, it's not. In an effort to unlock the secret of Beckham's allure, I recently attended his fourth match with his new team, Real Madrid. As you may or may not know, Beckham recently fled (well, he was paid $41 million) his native Britain and his beloved Manchester United soccer team for Real Madrid, unquestionably the best team in the world now. Real Madrid (that's pronounced Re-Al, meaning "royal") already sports an unprecedented array of the world's top players -- Brazil's Ronaldo and France's Zinedine Zidane, among them -- and Beckham, while nearly in their league, wasn't brought in for his passing ability. Real Madrid claims 100 million fans worldwide, and at some $85 a pop, Beckham T-shirts are expected to bring in $160 million over the next three years. His sponsorships are in a different stratosphere from any other soccer player, though still modest by the American standards of Jordan and Woods. (Still, this is Europe, where there is universal health insurance, so players don't need to be paid as much.) For the fans, Beckham's appeal has nothing to do with merchandising. Futbol, as it's called here, is less commercial than a Little League game. First of all, Real Madrid plays in Bernabeu Stadium, named after the legendary manager of the team, not a bankrupt airline or an indicted energy consortium. The advertising in the 80,000-person park is discreet. At halftime everybody chows on tinfoil-wrapped sandwiches they brought from home. As the players step onto the field, Beckham-mania ripples through the crowd. Everybody is watching the newcomer. The distinctly non-Spanish word "Beckham" crackles throughout the bleachers. If his play does not stand out, his hair certainly does -- a blond mane done up in a samurai topknot. The Englishman changes his hair almost as much as Hillary Rodham Clinton used to. He has also been through cornrows, a shaved head and a mohawk. Everything except an Afro. As Real Madrid hypes itself up to engage Marseille, Beckham gives several of his teammates a manly peck on the cheek. I guess it is the European equivalent of linebackers patting each other on the butt, but somehow a kiss seems more intimate. Beckham's charisma is apparent even to a soccer neophyte like myself. During the game a player tangles with Beckham and crashes to the ground. Beckham thrusts out his hand to help him up, no hint of emotion, James Bond on the soccer field.

"Beckham has made futbol sexy for women," said Silvana Carretero, a young Madrilena who works in public relations. The women in her office have now put up Beckham posters, she said. She couldn't come up with the words for his greatness, so I suggested Nietzschean Ubermensch. She thought that sounded fine. Triple the photographers Since Beckham arrived the number of photographers on the field has tripled, according to my escort and soccer interpreter Charlie, a novelist who moonlights as a sports columnist for a British weekly paper. Beckham's effect on the crowd is visceral. Even the normally laconic Charlie, a towering Londoner, emitted schoolboyish shrieks of "C'mon Dave!" The so-serious Spanish football press was initially skeptical of the Brit, dismissing him as pretty-boy, good for nothing but selling T-shirts. But his aggression, determination to win and physical prowess on the field won them over. Unlike U.S. sports, soccer is a game for Venus, not Mars. Thus, Beckham is admired for his humbleness on the field as much as in his private life. Soccer is a game of cooperation, where passes and coordination with the rest of the team count as much as individual goals. Not a playboy sports star Marie Claire recently put Beckham on its cover. He is the opposite of the playboy sports star, Garzon says. Beckham is seen as an attentive father, she says, and he is always telling everybody how much he loves his wife. In his recent $1 million autobiography, he talked about her party organizing skills as much as his football. "He is like the new man we would all like to have at home," Garzon says. Other Spanish stars, like filmmaker Pedro Almodovar, are more intellectual. But the British soccer star's appeal is "is emotional, physical and sexual," she says. "Not intellectual, but he doesn't need it." It occurs to me that Beckham will never generate the hype in the United States that he has in the rest of the world. We like our sports superstars unimpeachably macho, men of raw, unrestrained appetite, prone to trouble and excess: Babe Ruth, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant. There's no precedent for a player who attends fashion shows because he is interested in the clothes, not the models. A traditional Espanola, Silvana agrees. She thinks Beckham is "a bit soft." After all, she says, "what can I think about a man who dresses better than his wife?"

year	club	playing status	transfer status	games	goals
1994/1995	Manchester Utd (ENG)	professional	--	4	0
1994/1995	Manchester Utd (ENG)	???	loan from ManU	??	2
1995/1996	Manchester Utd (ENG)	professional	--	33	7
1996/1997	Manchester Utd (ENG)	professional	--	36	8
1997/1998	Manchester Utd (ENG)	professional	--	37	9
1998/1999	Manchester Utd (ENG)	professional	--	34	6
1999/2000	Manchester Utd (ENG)	professional	--	31	6
2000/2001	Manchester Utd (ENG)	professional	--	31	9
2001/2002	Manchester Utd (ENG)	professional	--	28	11
2002/2003	Manchester Utd (ENG)	professional	--	31	6
2003/2004	Real Madrid	professional	--