David Beckham
- Profession: Footballer
- Place/Date of Birth: Leytonstone, London, 02 May 1975
- Associated with: Victoria Beckham
Becks signs deal to advertise pens - Mar 6 2008
David Beckham has signed another megabucks advertising deal - to become the face of a pen.
The 32-year-old is endorsing Sharpie, an autograph-marker used by US celebrities. The LA Galaxy player, who hopes to get his 100th English cap this season, is advertising the product in a global campaign.
The football star, who signed a five-year contract with LA Galaxy worth £125 million and moved to LA with wife Victoria and their three sons, recently left little to the imagination when he stripped down for an advert for Armani pants.
Becks said: "I have always enjoyed signing autographs for people, especially since I used to love getting my heroes' signatures when I was younger.
"I love to use Sharpie markers, so it's a natural choice for me to partner with them."
The brand's global business unit president Howard Heckes said: "Like the Sharpie brand, David embodies individuality and creative expression."
Dropped Becks pulls out of charity gala - Feb 1 2008
David Beckham pulled out of hosting a star-studded charity event for cystic fibrosis just hours after being dropped from the England squad.
Becks - who was left out of new England boss Fabio Capello’s team yesterday (Thursday) - was due to take centre stage at the fundraising event last night at London’s Dorchester Hotel. He sent a video message apologising for his absence.
Those at the event were told Beckham had been called back to America where he plays for LA Galaxy. A spokesman for the organisers said they were informed on the night that Beckham couldn’t attend. He said he was sure there were "genuine reasons".
The spokesman continued: "We had other fantastic guests there. It is about raising money and awareness."
Elton John, who performed at the event, told the Daily Mirror he only found out last night Becks couldn’t attend, adding: "I’m sure he’s disappointed."
The event, attended by around 420 people, saw tables sold for up to £30,000, with proceeds going to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Sarah Guthrie, director of fundraising at the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, said organisers were told Beckham had been called for training. She said: "He made a video recording. It was shown on the night and his disappointment was relayed to the audience." She said £2 million was raised on the night.
Davina McCall, who was due to be a co-host, took over the role single-handed.
A spokesman for Beckham reportedly said the star was "very disappointed".
Beckham in child mortality call - Jan 22 2008
David Beckham has appealed for the world not to turn a blind eye to "shocking" child mortality rates in developing nations as he returned from a visit to a poverty-stricken west African country.
The England midfielder and LA Galaxy star said tens of thousands of young children were dying every day across the world, mostly from preventable conditions.
His remarks followed his four-day visit as United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) goodwill ambassador to Sierra Leone, a country where more than a quarter of children die before their fifth birthday.
"We can’t turn a blind eye to the tens of thousands of young children who die every day in the developing world mostly from causes that are preventable," he said.
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David Robert Joseph Beckham was born on 2nd May 1975 and despite being a renowned national and international footballer, is probably more famous for his marriage to ‘Posh’, aka Victoria Beckham, their bizarrely named children and continued coverage in the gossip press.
Beckham’s football career began its steady climb when he first signed a trainee’s contract with Man U in 1991, making his league debut in 1995.
His contribution at Man U saw the team climb the ladder that is the English Premiere League and by 1998 he had also established himself on the international scene.
In 1998 Beckham was part of the England squad at the World Cup, but received a red card in the quarter final, for kicking out in anger at Argentian player Diego Simeone. England lost the game on penalties and David’s on-pitch behaviour became the object of much criticism on his return to England.
Despite his instrumental part in Man U claiming the Treble, Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, in the 98/99 season, Beckham’s real rise to fame didn’t start until 2000 when he was promoted to captain the England team.
In 2001 his performance in a qualifying match against Greece saved the day for the England team and shortly afterwards he was voted Sports Personality of the Year. In 2002 his leadership saw an unprecedented 5-1 defeat of Germany in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. The team went on to knock Argentina out of the cup on penalties, before losing in the quarterfinals to eventual winners Brazil.
Relations at home with Man U were strained during this time. A number of injuries left their star player incapacitated, whilst his growing celebrity status appeared to cause friction with teammates and manager alike.
In 2003 we all heard about the infamous ‘boot’ incident, when apparently, following a defeat against Arsenal, manager Alex Ferguson kicked a football boot at Beckham, it struck his eye causing a gash that required stitches.
In the summer of 2003 Beckham surprised fans by announcing a move to Spanish dream team Real Madrid, with whom he signed a four-year contract. During his time in Spain he split his time between the Spanish capital and his family who had remained at their home in England.
Despite winning over the fans in Spain and scoring well in the first season, the team itself didn’t perform well and were knocked out of both the Spanish and Champions League. It wasn’t until his fourth season in 2006/7 that the team won the Spanish Le Liga title, Beckham’s first since his arrival at the club.
During his time in Spain Beckham spent as much time in the papers as he did on the pitch, when accusations of an affair with personal assistant Rebecca Loos were printed in the tabloid press. His wife’s refusal to move to Spain fuelled yet further accusations that the marriage was on the rocks.
His career as England captain also seemed to be strained at this time, when during the 2006 World Cup he was substituted, a move that saw him weeping on the sideline. Shortly after this incident Beckham took the bold step of standing down from his position as captain and was subsequently dropped from the squad all together.
At the beginning of 2007 Beckham announced his swift departure from Real Madrid, in order to cross the Atlantic and join Los Angeles Galaxy.
2007 has seen the whole family move Stateside, with the Beckham’s continuing their domination of the world media in an attempt to ‘conquer’ the USA.
David and Victoria married on July 4th 1999 and have three sons, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz
Updated July 2007
March 2008