At 11, Beckham won the Bobby Charlton Soccer Schools National Skills tournament, which earned him a trip to Barcelona, where a Manchester United talent scout noticed him.
London's East End native Beckham was recognized for his "common" voice with a higher pitch during his early career. He received vocal coaching and elocution classes to enhance his accent and speak more eloquently (he now pronounces the "H" at the start of words that start with that letter).
He met his future wife Victoria Beckham, "Posh" Spice of the Spice Girls, in the United players' lounge following a 1997 charity football match.
Victoria was already famous as a girl band member. Beckham had yet to become a soccer superstar for Manchester United.
Beckham was known for his ability to "bend" free kicks around or over defenders to score as a midfielder. He was honored in the 2002 film Bend it like Beckham, featuring Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley as teenage female players seeking to succeed in a male-dominated sport.
Beckham's career changed after the 1998 World Cup. He was sent off for kicking Diego Simeone in a 2-2 draw with Argentina. England was eliminated in the second round as Argentina won on penalties. He was slammed by the media and public upon returning home.
Despite his disappointment with England, he was crucial to Man Utd's mid-to-late 1990s dominance of English football. He helped the squad achieve treble 1999. His eight years at Old Trafford were marked for scoring goals in 262 games and earning six Premier League titles.
In the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern, he set up Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the Red Devils' epic comeback with corners
Beckham was the first English captain and player to receive two red cards.
The £7.5 million "Beckingham Palace" in Hertfordshire was bought by David and Victoria in 1999.