| Source
Notes: |
Sy
Scholfield quotes "Born 2 May 1975, 06:17 GDT, Whipps Cross Hospital,
Leytonstone, London, England (51N29, 0W00). From the biography ‘David
Beckham My Son’ by Ted Beckham, (Boxtree, 2005), page ten. A copy of his
birth certificate with place and date of birth appears on page twelve."
Sarah Van Sanden and Maurice Fernandez quote Frank Clifford for same
information posted in the January-February 2006 edition of "Transit"
magazine of the Astrological Association of Great Britain. |
Biography
British soccer player with
movie-star good looks and pop-star appeal, Beckham has been called the
best footballer in England and perhaps the best in Europe. His
long-distance kicks over the goal line, his lightening moves on the
field, and his leadership skills as Captain make him a favorite of
sports fans everywhere.
Enamored of the sport from the time he was a schoolboy, Beckham won the
Bobby Charlton Soccer Skills Award at the age of 11. He was a devoted
fan of England’s largest club, Manchester United, and dreamed of playing
with the team. His dream came true in July 1991 when he signed on as a
trainee. In 1993 he signed as a professional player and made his league
debut in April 1995. He aroused fans’ attention right away, and 1996 was
a good year for him professionally. But he really shot to stardom in
1997. That year he met Victoria Adams, then a Spice Girl known as
“Posh.” They fell in love, announcing their engagement within the year.
Their first child, Brooklyn Joseph, was born on March 4, 1999 and the
couple married a few months later, on July 4th in Dublin. Their second
son Romeo was born September 1, 2002 and their third, Cruz, came along
on February 20, 2005.
While his family was growing, Beckham was making his name known on the
field, with his crosses and free kicks instrumental in winning
competition after competition. His on-field accomplishments were
occasionally overshadowed by shows of bad temper. One display in 1998
arguably cost England the FIFA World Cup after Beckham was thrown off
the field for kicking a rival player. His general brilliance and skill
on the field however quickly redeemed him in his fans’ eyes. His free
kick in the 2002 World Cup competition against Greece enraptured soccer
fans everywhere. The popular 2002 movie “Bend it Like Beckham” is an
endearing tribute to the influence he has had on young athletes’ dreams,
in this case a young woman. In November 2003 he received an OBE from the
Queen of England. That year he announced his decision to sign a
four-year contract with Madrid Real, and in early 2007 he announced his
decision to join the Los Angeles Galaxy for a $250 million five-year
contract that begins in August 2007. He has found that fame comes with a
price, however. His wife and children became the center of frightening
but thankfully unsuccessful kidnapping plot in November 2002, and his
extra-marital flirtations have been often covered by the media.
With his blond good looks, fashionable attire and changing hairstyles,
he brings marketing appeal to the companies with whom he has endorsement
contracts such as Adidas, Pepsi and Marks & Spencer. He now has his
own line of men’s colognes, but it’s not all flash and glam. To share
his love for the sport, he opened a soccer school for kids, The David
Beckham Academy, in the UK and in Los Angeles.
|
