This article is about the sporting event. For the video game based on this event, see UEFA Euro 2008 (video game). UEFA Euro 2008 Fußball-Europameisterschaft 2008 Championnat d'Europe de football 2008 Campionato europeo di calcio 2008 Campiunadi d'Europa da ballape 2008 UEFA Euro 2008 official logo Tournament details Host countries Flag of Austria Austria Flag of Switzerland Switzerland Dates 7 June – 29 June Teams 16 Venue(s) 8 (in 8 host cities) Tournament statistics Matches played 12 Goals scored 28 (2.33 per match) Attendance 423,396 (35,283 per match) Top scorer(s) Flag of Spain David Villa (3 goals) Flag of Germany Lukas Podolski (3 goals) Infobox last updated on: 22:04, 12 June 2008 (UTC). The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2008, is the 13th edition of the UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European nations. The tournament, which is being hosted by Austria and Switzerland, began on 7 June 2008 and is scheduled to conclude with the final at Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna on 29 June 2008. It is the second successful joint bid in the competition's history. A total of 16 teams are participating in the tournament. Austria and Switzerland automatically qualified as hosts; the remaining 14 teams were determined through qualifying matches which began in August 2006. The winner of Euro 2008 will qualify for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.[1] Contents [hide] * 1 Bid process * 2 Venues * 3 New trophy * 4 Qualifying o 4.1 Qualified teams o 4.2 Spain controversy * 5 Seeding * 6 Match officials * 7 Squads * 8 Results o 8.1 Group stage + 8.1.1 Group A + 8.1.2 Group B + 8.1.3 Group C + 8.1.4 Group D o 8.2 Knockout stage + 8.2.1 Quarter-finals + 8.2.2 Semi-finals o 8.3 Final * 9 Statistics o 9.1 Goalscorers * 10 Miscellany o 10.1 Match ball o 10.2 Music o 10.3 Mascots o 10.4 Slogan * 11 Prize money * 12 Broadcasting rights * 13 References * 14 External links Bid process Austria and Switzerland jointly bid to host the games, and faced major competition from Greece/Turkey, Scotland/Ireland, Russia, Hungary, Croatia/Bosnia-Herzegovina and a 4-way Nordic bid from Norway/Sweden/Denmark/Finland. Austria had already bid with another country before, which was Hungary for Euro 2004. They eventually lost to Portugal. Austria/Switzerland, Greece/Turkey, and Hungary were recommended before the final vote. Greece and Turkey were rejected and let Hungary and Austria/Switzerland battle for the win. The Austria/Switzerland bid is the second successful joint bid in the competition's history, following the UEFA Euro 2000 hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands. The 2012 competition in Poland and Ukraine is scheduled to become the third jointly-hosted tournament. Venues The tournament will be played at eight venues throughout the two host nations; four in Austria and four in Switzerland. Each venue has a capacity of at least 30,000 for the tournament; the largest stadium is Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna with a capacity of 53,295.[2] It is for this reason that Ernst Happel Stadion will host the final. Switzerland will play all of its group stage matches at St. Jakob Park in Basel, which also hosted the opening match of the tournament as a compromise for the final being held in Vienna. Austria will play all of its group stage matches at Ernst Happel Stadion. In 2004, the Zürich venue became a problem for the organisers. Originally, the Hardturm stadium was to be renovated and used as the city's venue, but legal challenges delayed the plan to a point that would not have allowed the ground to be used in 2008. This created a problem, as the agreement between UEFA and the organizers stipulated that four venues would be used in each country. The problem was solved when the organizers proposed renovating Letzigrund instead; UEFA approved the revised plan in January 2005. The Letzigrund stadium hosted its first football match on 23 September 2007.[3] Vienna Klagenfurt Salzburg Innsbruck Ernst Happel Stadion Capacity: 53,295 Hypo-Arena Capacity: 31,957 Wals Siezenheim Stadion Capacity: 31,020 Tivoli Neu Capacity: 31,600 Basel Berne Geneva Zürich St. Jakob-Park Capacity: 42,000 Stade de Suisse Capacity: 31,907 Stade de Genève Capacity: 31,228 Letzigrund Capacity: 30,000 New trophy The new trophy for the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament The new trophy for the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament A new trophy will be awarded to the winners of the Euro 2008 tournament. The new version of the Henri Delaunay Trophy, created by Asprey London,[4] is almost an exact replica of the original designed by Arthus-Bertrand. A small figure juggling a ball on the back of the original has been removed, as has the marble plinth. The silver base of the trophy also had to be enlarged to make it stable. The names of the winning countries that had appeared on the plinth have now been engraved on the back of the trophy, which is made of sterling silver, weighs 8 kilograms (17.6 lb) and is 60 centimetres (24 in) tall. Qualifying Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying The draw for the qualifying round took place in Montreux, Switzerland on 27 January 2006 at 12:00 CET. The qualifying process commenced a month after the 2006 World Cup. Austria and Switzerland automatically qualified for the tournament finals as host nations. The qualifying format was changed compared to previous tournaments. The winners and runners-up from seven groups automatically qualified for the Championship, with the hosts filling the other two slots in the 16-team tournament. The change means there were no play-offs between teams finishing in second place in the groups—they qualified directly for the finals. Teams that finished in third place didn't have any further opportunity to qualify. Six of the qualifying groups contained seven teams, and the other, Group A, contained eight. Qualified teams Country ↓ Qualified as ↓ Date qualification was secured ↓ Previous appearances in tournament1 ↓ Flag of Austria Austria 00Co-hosts 0012 December 2002 01 (debut appearance) Flag of Switzerland Switzerland 01Co-hosts 0112 December 2002 21 (1996, 2004) Flag of Poland Poland 02Group A winner 0917 November 2007 00 (debut appearance) Flag of Portugal Portugal 03Group A runner-up 1421 November 2007 4 (1984, 1996, 2000, 2004) Flag of Italy Italy 04Group B winner 0617 November 2007 60 (1968, 1980, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004) Flag of France France 05Group B runner-up 0717 November 2007 61 (1960, 1984, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004) Flag of Greece Greece 06Group C winner 0317 October 2007 23 (1980, 2004) Flag of Turkey Turkey 07Group C runner-up 1221 November 2007 22 (1996, 2000) Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic 08Group D winner 0517 October 2007 62 (19602, 19762, 19802, 1996, 2000, 2004) Flag of Germany Germany 09Group D runner-up 0213 October 2007 9 (19723, 19763, 19803, 19843, 19883, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004) Flag of Croatia Croatia 10Group E winner 0817 November 2007 20 (1996, 2004) Flag of Russia Russia 11Group E runner-up 1521 November 2007 8 (19604, 19644, 19684, 19724, 19884, 19925, 1996, 2004) Flag of Spain Spain 12Group F winner 1117 November 2007 71 (1964, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004) Flag of Sweden Sweden 13Group F runner-up 1321 November 2007 30 (1992, 2000, 2004) Flag of Romania Romania 14Group G winner 0417 October 2007 31 (1984, 1996, 2000) Flag of the Netherlands Netherlands 15Group G runner-up 1017 November 2007 70 (1976, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004) Participating countries Participating countries 1 Bold indicates champion for that year 2 as Czechoslovakia 3 as West Germany 4 as Soviet Union 5 as Commonwealth of Independent States Spain controversy FIFA president Sepp Blatter threatened Spain with expulsion from international football had the Spanish government interfered in the election process of the Spanish Football Federation, but no action was deemed necessary.[5] Seeding Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 seeding The draw for the final tournament took place on 2 December 2007 at the Culture and Convention Centre in Lucerne.[6] In a return to the format used at Euro 92 and Euro 96 the games in each group will be held at just two stadia, with the seeded team remaining in the same city for all three matches. As was the case at the 2000 and 2004 finals, the finalists were divided into four seeding pots, based on average points per game in the qualifying phases of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2008, with each group having one team from each pot. Switzerland and Austria, as co-hosts, and Greece, as defending champions, were seeded first automatically.[7][8] The Netherlands were seeded based on their UEFA coefficient in the Euro 2008 finalists ranking. Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4 * Flag of Switzerland Switzerland (assigned to A1) * Flag of Austria Austria (assigned to B1) * Flag of Greece Greece * Flag of the Netherlands Netherlands * Flag of Croatia Croatia * Flag of Italy Italy * Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic * Flag of Sweden Sweden * Flag of Romania Romania * Flag of Germany Germany * Flag of Portugal Portugal * Flag of Spain Spain * Flag of Poland Poland * Flag of France France * Flag of Turkey Turkey * Flag of Russia Russia Match officials Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 officials Twelve referees and twenty four assistants were selected for the tournament:[9] Football Association Referee Assistants Flag of Austria Austria Konrad Plautz Egon Bereuter Markus Mayr Flag of Belgium Belgium Frank de Bleeckere Peter Hermans Alex Verstraeten Flag of England England Howard Webb Darren Cann Mike Mullarkey Flag of Germany Germany Herbert Fandel Carsten Kadach Volker Wezel Flag of Greece Greece Kyros Vassaras Dimitiris Bozartzidis Dimitiris Saraidaris Flag of Italy Italy Roberto Rosetti Alessandro Griselli Paolo Calcagno Flag of the Netherlands Netherlands Pieter Vink Adriaan Inia Hans ten Hoove Flag of Norway Norway Tom Henning Øvrebø Geir Åge Holen Jan Petter Randen[10] Flag of Slovakia Slovakia Ľuboš Micheľ Roman Slysko Martin Balko Flag of Spain Spain Manuel Mejuto González Juan Carlos Yuste Jiménez Jesús Calvo Guadamuro Flag of Sweden Sweden Peter Fröjdfeldt Stefan Wittberg Henrik Andren Flag of Switzerland Switzerland Massimo Busacca Matthias Arnet Stephane Cuhat Squads Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 squads Each nation had to submit a squad of 23 players, three of which had to be goalkeepers, by 28 May 2008. If a player was injured seriously enough to prevent him from taking part in the tournament before his team's first match, he could be replaced by another player.[11] Results All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2) Euro 2008 wall chart Euro 2008 wall chart Group stage In the following tables: * Pld = total games played; W = total games won; D = total games drawn (tied); L = total games lost; GF = total goals scored (goals for); GA = total goals conceded (goals against); GD = goal difference (GF−GA); Pts = total points accumulated (3W+D) Should two teams from the same group finish with an equal number of points, they will be ranked based on the following criteria: * Number of points earned in matches between the teams in question; * Goal difference in matches between the teams in question (in cases where there are more than two teams equal on points); * Goals scored in matches between the teams in question (in cases where there are more than two teams equal on points); * Goal difference in all group matches; * Goals scored in all group matches; * In cases where exactly two teams are equal in all previously listed critera and play one another to a draw in their final group match, kicks from the penalty mark will be conducted in lieu of the remaining criteria;[12] * Coefficient from the qualifying competitions for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and 2006/08 UEFA European Football Championship (points obtained divided by the number of matches played); * Fair play conduct of the teams in the group stage; * Drawing of lots. Key to colours in group tables Top two teams progress to the quarter-finals Bottom two teams are eliminated from the tournament Group A Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 Group A Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Flag of Portugal Portugal 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 6 Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic 2 1 0 1 2 3 −1 3 Flag of Turkey Turkey 2 1 0 1 2 3 −1 3 Flag of Switzerland Switzerland 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2 0 7 June 2008 Switzerland Flag of Switzerland 0 – 1 Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic Portugal Flag of Portugal 2 – 0 Flag of Turkey Turkey 11 June 2008 Czech Republic Flag of the Czech Republic 1 – 3 Flag of Portugal Portugal Switzerland Flag of Switzerland 1 – 2 Flag of Turkey Turkey 15 June 2008 Switzerland Flag of Switzerland v Flag of Portugal Portugal Turkey Flag of Turkey v Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic Qualification * Portugal has qualified for the quarter-finals as Group A winners. * The winner of the match between Turkey and the Czech Republic will progress to the quarter-finals as Group A runners-up. If the match is drawn, the progressing team will be determined by a penalty shootout. * Switzerland cannot qualify for the quarter finals and will finish bottom of the group. Group B Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 Group B Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Flag of Croatia Croatia 2 2 0 0 3 1 +2 6 Flag of Germany Germany 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 3 Flag of Austria Austria 2 0 1 1 1 2 −1 1 Flag of Poland Poland 2 0 1 1 1 3 −2 1 8 June 2008 Austria Flag of Austria 0 – 1 Flag of Croatia Croatia Germany Flag of Germany 2 – 0 Flag of Poland Poland 12 June 2008 Croatia Flag of Croatia 2 – 1 Flag of Germany Germany Austria Flag of Austria 1 – 1 Flag of Poland Poland 16 June 2008 Poland Flag of Poland v Flag of Croatia Croatia Austria Flag of Austria v Flag of Germany Germany Qualification * Croatia have qualified for the quarter finals as Group B winners. * Germany will qualify if they beat or draw with Austria. * Austria will qualify if they beat Germany, and Poland do not beat Croatia. * If Austria and Poland both win their next matches, one of those teams will progress depending on goal difference, goals scored, or on the basis of average points scored in recent qualification tournaments. o Poland would have to win by a greater margin than Austria to have any chance. o If Poland win by a margin greater than Austria's by 2 or more, Poland will qualify. o If Poland's winning margin is one greater than Austria's, Austria need to score 2 goals more than Poland to qualify. Group C Free kick in the Italy-Netherlands match, 9 June Free kick in the Italy-Netherlands match, 9 June Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 Group C Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Flag of the Netherlands Netherlands 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 3 Flag of France France 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Flag of Romania Romania 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Flag of Italy Italy 1 0 0 1 0 3 −3 0 9 June 2008 Romania Flag of Romania 0 – 0 Flag of France France Netherlands Flag of the Netherlands 3 – 0 Flag of Italy Italy 13 June 2008 Italy Flag of Italy v Flag of Romania Romania Netherlands Flag of the Netherlands v Flag of France France 17 June 2008 Netherlands Flag of the Netherlands v Flag of Romania Romania France Flag of France v Flag of Italy Italy Group D Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 Group D Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Flag of Spain Spain 1 1 0 0 4 1 +3 3 Flag of Sweden Sweden 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 3 Flag of Greece Greece 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2 0 Flag of Russia Russia 1 0 0 1 1 4 −3 0 10 June 2008 Spain Flag of Spain 4 – 1 Flag of Russia Russia Greece Flag of Greece 0 – 2 Flag of Sweden Sweden 14 June 2008 Sweden Flag of Sweden v Flag of Spain Spain Greece Flag of Greece v Flag of Russia Russia 18 June 2008 Greece Flag of Greece v Flag of Spain Spain Russia Flag of Russia v Flag of Sweden Sweden Knockout stage Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage The knockout stage is different from that of past tournaments. Teams in groups A and B will be separated from teams in groups C and D until the final. This increases the chance of a group fixture being replayed in the knockout stage, and renders impossible a final between two teams drawn in the same half of the tournament. Also, in another major change, for the first time in a European Championship, only two venues (St. Jakob-Park, Basel and Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna—the two largest of the eight stadiums used) will be used for the seven matches in the knockout stage of the tournament.[13] Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final 19 June - Basel Flag of Portugal Portugal 25 June - Basel Runner-up Group B Winner of QF1 20 June - Vienna Winner of QF2 Flag of Croatia Croatia 29 June - Vienna Runner-up Group A Winner of SF1 21 June - Basel Winner of SF2 Winner Group C 26 June - Vienna Runner-up Group D Winner of QF3 22 June - Vienna Winner of QF4 Winner Group D Runner-up Group C Quarter-finals 2008-06-19 20:45 Portugal Flag of Portugal v Runner-up of Group B St. Jakob-Park, Basel 2008-06-20 20:45 Croatia Flag of Croatia v Runner-up of Group A Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna 2008-06-21 20:45 Winner of Group C v Runner-up of Group D St. Jakob-Park, Basel 2008-06-22 20:45 Winner of Group D v Runner-up of Group C Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna Semi-finals 2008-06-25 20:45 Winner of Quarter-final 1 v Winner of Quarter-final 2 St. Jakob-Park, Basel 2008-06-26 20:45 Winner of Quarter-final 3 v Winner of Quarter-final 4 Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna Final Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 Final 2008-06-29 20:45 Winner of Semi-final 1 v Winner of Semi-final 2 Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna Statistics Goalscorers 3 goals * Flag of Germany Lukas Podolski * Flag of Spain David Villa 1 goal * Flag of Austria Ivica Vastić * Flag of Croatia Luka Modrić * Flag of Croatia Darijo Srna * Flag of Croatia Ivica Olić * Flag of the Czech Republic Libor Sionko * Flag of the Czech Republic Václav Svěrkoš * Flag of the Netherlands Giovanni van Bronckhorst * Flag of the Netherlands Ruud van Nistelrooy * Flag of the Netherlands Wesley Sneijder * Flag of Poland Roger Guerreiro * Flag of Portugal Deco * Flag of Portugal Raul Meireles * Flag of Portugal Pepe * Flag of Portugal Ricardo Quaresma * Flag of Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo * Flag of Russia Roman Pavlyuchenko * Flag of Spain Cesc Fàbregas * Flag of Sweden Petter Hansson * Flag of Sweden Zlatan Ibrahimović * Flag of Switzerland Hakan Yakin * Flag of Turkey Semih Şentürk * Flag of Turkey Arda Turan Miscellany Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 miscellany Match ball The official ball for the UEFA Euro 2008 matches The official ball for the UEFA Euro 2008 matches The match ball for the finals was unveiled at the draw ceremony. Produced by Adidas and named the Europass, it is a 14-panel ball in the same construction as the Teamgeist, but with a modified surface design.[14] A version named the Europass Gloria will be used in the final.[15] There have been concerns raised about the match ball because it deviates so much in flight, making it difficult to judge for goalkeepers. Notable players to criticise are Germany's Jens Lehmann and the Czech Republic's Petr Čech.[16] Music The official Euro 2008 song is "Can You Hear Me" by Enrique Iglesias. It will be performed live as part of the official closing ceremony after the final in Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna on June 29. "Can You Hear Me" was written by Enrique Iglesias, Steve Morales and Frankie Storm, recorded at Circle House Studios in Miami and produced by Big Ben Diehl and Carlos Pacuar. It is 3 minutes and 44 seconds in length. The music video, directed by Paul Minor, features football tricks. As well as the official song, two soundtracks, "Like a Superstar" and "Feel the Rush", have been recorded by Jamaican reggae artist Shaggy as mascot songs for Euro 2008. They form a musical background to video clips featuring the twin mascots Trix and Flix. The official Swiss song for the tournament is a new version of "Bring en hei" by Baschi,[17] Christina Stürmer sings the official tournament song of Austrian ÖFB, "Fieber" (Fever).[18] Croatia manager, Slaven Bilić has recorded his country's official Euro 2008 song, "Vatreno ludilo" ("Fiery Madness"), with his rock group, Rawbau. Mascots The two official mascots for UEFA Euro 2008, were named after a vote from the public of the two host nations, the options were: * Zigi and Zagi * Flitz and Bitz * Trix and Flix After receiving 36.3% of the vote, Trix and Flix were chosen. "I am sure the mascots and their names will become a vital part of the understanding of the whole event," said Christian Mutschler, who is the tournament director for Switzerland.[19] Slogan The slogan for UEFA Euro 2008 was chosen on 24 January 2007: Expect Emotions. The UEFA President Michel Platini stated "It describes in a nutshell what the UEFA Euro 2008 has to offer: all kinds of emotions—joy, disappointment, relief or high tension—right up to the final whistle."[20] Prize money UEFA announced that total of €184 million has been offered to the 16 teams competing in this tournament, increasing from €129 million in the previous tournament. The distributions as below:[21] * Participating fee: €7.5 million Extra payment based on teams performances: * Group stage (per match): o Win: €1 million o Draw: €500,000 * Quarter-finals: €2 million * Semi-finals: €3 million * Runner-up: €4.5 million * Winner: €7.5 million If the winner of the tournament wins all three matches in the group stage, they will receive a total prize of €23 million. Broadcasting rights Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 broadcasting rights Many of the world's national broadcasters have secured broadcasting rights of the tournament, as of 16 January 2008.[22] References 1. ^ If Italy wins the tournament, the runner-up will qualify for the Confederations Cup, as Italy is already entered as the winner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. 2. ^ UEFA EURO 2008. fussballtempel.net. Retrieved on 2008-06-08. 3. ^ Zurich - Letzigrund Stadion. 4. ^ New trophy announced at UEFA site. 5. ^ "Fifa warns Spain of possible ban", BBC Sport, 2008-02-18. Retrieved on 2008-02-25. 6. ^ "Draw sets up heavyweight contests", uefa.com, 2007-12-02. Retrieved on 2007-12-02. 7. ^ Format from UEFA Website. 8. ^ UEFA Euro 2008 Information (PDF). 9. ^ UEFA Euro 2008 referees. 10. ^ Hundredeler for treig til EM-plass. 11. ^ Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship 2006/08 (PDF). 12. ^ Paragraph 7.08 [1] 13. ^ "Euro-Format means group rivals cannot meet again in final", Yahoo! Sports, 2008-06-03. Retrieved on 2008-06-03. 14. ^ "adidas "EUROPASS" – the match ball with "goose bumps" for UEFA EURO 2008", Lucerne/Herzogenaurach: adidas, 2007-12-02. Retrieved on 2007-12-04. 15. ^ "Final ball rolled out in Vienna", euro2008.uefa.com, 2008-04-30. Retrieved on 2008-05-30. 16. ^ "Cech concerned by Euro 2008 ball", BBC Sport, 2008-06-06. Retrieved on 2008-06-06. 17. ^ Official UEFA EURO 2008 Song: "Can You Hear Me" by Enrique Iglesias 18. ^ Christina Stürmers offizieller EM-Song heißt "Fieber" on orf.at 19. ^ Official Mascot Naming. 20. ^ Expect Emotions at Euro 2008. 21. ^ UEFA raises 2008 prize money. 22. ^ UEFA Euro 2008 Broadcasting Rights (PDF). External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 2008 European Football Championship * UEFA Euro 2008 Official Site * Travel guide for the tournament from Wikitravel UEFA Euro 2008 stages v • d • e Group A Group B Group C Group D Knockout stage Final UEFA Euro 2008 general information Qualification Seeding Squads Schedule Discipline Officials Controversies Broadcasting Sponsorship Miscellany UEFA Euro 2008 finalists v • d • e Group A: Czech Republic • Portugal • Switzerland • Turkey Group B: Austria • Croatia • Germany • Poland Group C: France • Italy • Netherlands • Romania Group D: Greece • Russia • Spain • Sweden UEFA European Football Championships v • d • e France 1960 | Spain 1964 | Italy 1968 | Belgium 1972 | Yugoslavia 1976 | Italy 1980 | France 1984 | West Germany 1988 | Sweden 1992 | England 1996 | Belgium/Netherlands 2000 | Portugal 2004 | Austria/Switzerland 2008 | Poland/Ukraine 2012 | 2016 | 2020 National football teams of Europe (UEFA) v • d • e Albania | Andorra | Armenia | Austria | Azerbaijan | Belarus | Belgium | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bulgaria | Croatia | Cyprus | Czech Republic | Denmark | England | Estonia | Faroe Islands | Finland | FYR Macedonia | France | Georgia | Germany | Greece | Hungary | Iceland | Republic of Ireland | Israel | Italy | Kazakhstan | Latvia | Liechtenstein | Lithuania | Luxembourg | Malta | Moldova | Montenegro | Netherlands | Northern Ireland | Norway | Poland | Portugal | Romania | Russia | San Marino | Scotland | Serbia | Slovakia | Slovenia | Spain | Sweden | Switzerland | Turkey | Ukraine | Wales International football v • d • e FIFA | World Cup | Confederations Cup | U-20 World Cup | U-17 World Cup Olympics | Asian Games | All-Africa Games | Pan American Games | Island Games | Minor Tournaments World Rankings | Player of the Year | Teams | Competitions | Organizations | Codes Asia: AFC – Asian Cup Africa: CAF – Africa Cup of Nations North America: CONCACAF – Gold Cup South America: CONMEBOL – Copa América Oceania: OFC – Nations Cup Europe: UEFA – European Championship Non-FIFA: NF-Board – Viva World Cup

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David Beckham From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Semi-protected David Beckham Personal information Full name David Robert Joseph Beckham OBE Date of birth 2 May 1975 (1975-05-02) (age 33) Place of birth Leytonstone, London, England Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1] Playing position Right winger Club information Current club Los Angeles Galaxy Number 23 Youth clubs 1991–1993 Manchester United Senior clubs1 Years Club App (Gls)* 1993–2003 1995 2003–2007 2007– Manchester United → Preston North End (loan) Real Madrid Los Angeles Galaxy 265 (61) 005 0(2) 116 (13) 015 0(4) National team2 1994–1996 1996– England U21 England 009 0(0) 102 (17) 1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 7 June 2008. 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 07:51, 2 June 2008 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals) David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE (born 2 May 1975) is an English professional footballer, who plays as a midfielder. He currently plays for and captains Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy[2] and is also a member of the England national team. He earned his 100th cap for England against France in March 2008. He has twice been runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year, and in 2004 was the world's highest-paid footballer.[3] He was Google's most searched of all sports topics in both 2003 and 2004.[4] Such global recognition has made him an elite advertising brand and a top fashion icon.[5][6] Beckham was captain of England from 15 November 2000 to 2 July 2006. He made 58 appearances as captain, and ended his tenure in that role after the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals. He continued to make contributions for the England national team in 2007 competitions.[7] Beckham captained Manchester United for the first time on October 21st 2000 in a Premiership match against Leeds United. He came on as a substitute for regular captain Roy Keane, who was injured. Beckham went on to score a free-kick in this match, which finished 3-0. Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. During his time there, United won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons. While at Madrid, Beckham became the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches. In his final season, Real clinched the 2006-07 La Liga chamionship title (Beckham's only major trophy with the club) in the final game of the season on 17 June. In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid and sign a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy.[8] Beckham's new contract with the Galaxy, effective 1 July 2007, gave him the highest salary of any MLS player in history. He debuted for the team on 21 July in a friendly versus Chelsea at the Home Depot Center,[9] and on 15 August, he had his first start with the team, scoring his first goal in the 2007 SuperLiga semi-final. His first league start then came on 18 August in front of a record crowd at Giants Stadium.[10] Contents [hide] * 1 Club career o 1.1 Childhood and early career o 1.2 Manchester United o 1.3 Real Madrid o 1.4 L.A. Galaxy * 2 International career * 3 Discipline * 4 Sporting titles and awards o 4.1 Individual o 4.2 Club * 5 Statistics * 6 Special recognition beyond sport * 7 Personal life o 7.1 Affair claims * 8 Fame beyond football * 9 Charitable work * 10 Appearances in films * 11 Records * 12 Tattoos * 13 See also * 14 References o 14.1 Books o 14.2 Internet * 15 External links o 15.1 Articles Club career Childhood and early career Beckham was born at Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone, London, England; the son of David Edward Alan "Ted" Beckham (b. Edmonton, London, July-September 1948), a kitchen fitter and Manchester United fan, and wife (m. London Borough of Hackney, 1969) Sandra Georgina West (b. 1949),[11] a hairdresser. He regularly played football in Ridgeway Park, Chingford as a child. He attended Chase Lane Primary School and Chingford Foundation School as a child. His maternal grandfather is Jewish,[12] although Beckham has referred to himself as "half Jewish"[13] and spoken of the influence the religion has had on him. In his book Both Feet on the Ground, he stated that growing up he always attended church with his parents and his two sisters, Joanne and Lynne. His parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters who would frequently travel to Old Trafford from London to attend Manchester United's home matches. David inherited his parents' love of Manchester United and his main sporting 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 the Ridgeway Rovers - coached by his father, Stuart Underwood and Steve Kirby. He was a Manchester United mascot for a match against West Ham United in 1986. Young Beckham had trials with his local club Leyton Orient, Norwich City and attended Tottenham Hotspur's, which was the first club he played for, school of excellence. During a two-year period in which he played for Brimsdown Rovers' youth team, he was named Under-15 Player of the Year in 1990.[14] He also attended Bradenton Preparatory Academy, but signed schoolboy forms at Manchester United on his fourteenth birthday, and subsequently signed a Youth Training Scheme contract on 8 July 1991. Manchester United He was part of a group of young players at the club who guided the club to win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992, with Beckham scoring in the second leg[15] of the final against Crystal Palace. He made his first appearance for United's first-team that year, as a substitute in a League Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion, and signed his first professional contract shortly afterwards. United reached the final of the Youth Cup again the following year, with Beckham playing in their defeat by Leeds United, and he won another medal in 1994 when the club's reserve team won their league. He went to Preston North End on loan in the 1994–95 season to get some first team experience, then made his first Premier League appearance for Manchester United on 2 April 1995, in a goalless draw against Leeds United. United manager Alex Ferguson had a great deal of confidence in the club's young players. When experienced players Paul Ince, Mark Hughes and Andrei Kanchelskis left the club after the end of the 1994–95 season, his decision to let youth team players replace them instead of buying star players from other clubs, drew a great deal of criticism. The criticism increased when United started the season with a 3–1 defeat at Aston Villa,[16] with Beckham scoring United's only goal of the game; however, United won their next five matches and the young players performed well. Beckham became a regular player on the team and helped them to win the Premiership and FA Cup double that season, scoring the winner in the semi-final against Chelsea and also provided the corner that Éric Cantona scored from in the FA Cup Final. Despite playing regularly for Manchester United, Beckham did not break into the England squad before Euro 96.[17] At the beginning of the 1996-97 season David Beckham was given the number 10 shirt that had most recently been worn by Mark Hughes. On 17 August 1996 (the first day of the Premier League season), Beckham became something of a household name when he scored a spectacular goal in a match against Wimbledon. With United leading 2–0, Beckham noticed that Wimbledon's goalkeeper Neil Sullivan was standing a long way out of his goal, and hit a shot from the halfway line that floated over the goalkeeper and into the net.[18] On 18 May 1997, Eric Cantona retired as a player and left the coveted number 7 shirt free, and with Teddy Sheringham arriving from Tottenham Hotspur, Beckham left his number 10 shirt for Sheringham and picked up the number 7 jersey. Some fans had felt the number 7 shirt should be retired after Cantona had himself retired. United started the 1997–98 season well, but erratic performances in the second half of the season saw United finish second behind Arsenal.[19] In the 1998–99 season, he was part of the United team that won the treble — Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, a unique feat in English football. There had been speculation that the criticism that he had received after being sent off in the World Cup would lead to him leaving England, but he decided to stay at Manchester United. To ensure they would win the Premier League title, United needed to win their final league match of the season, at home to Tottenham Hotspur, but Tottenham took an early lead in the match. Beckham scored the equaliser and United went on to win the match and the league. Beckham played centre-midfield in United's FA Cup final win over Newcastle United and for the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final against Bayern Munich, since United's first string centre-midfielders were suspended for the match. United were losing the match 1-0 at the end of normal time, but won the trophy by scoring two goals in injury time. Both of the goals came from corners taken by Beckham. Those crucial assists, coupled with great performances over the rest of the season, led to him finishing runner up to Rivaldo for 1999's European Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. Beckham in a match against Bristol Rovers F.C. Beckham in a match against Bristol Rovers F.C. Despite Beckham's achievements in the 1998–99 season, he was still unpopular among some opposition fans and journalists, and he was criticised after being sent off for a deliberate foul in Manchester United's World Club Championship match against Necaxa. It was suggested in the press that his wife was a bad influence on him, and that it might be in United's interests to sell him,[20] but his manager publicly backed him and he stayed at the club. The relationship between Ferguson and Beckham began to deteriorate, possibly as a result of Beckham's fame and commitments away from football. In 2000, Beckham was given permission to miss training to look after his son Brooklyn, who had gastroenteritis, but Ferguson was furious when Victoria Beckham was photographed at a London Fashion Week event on the same night, claiming that Beckham would have been able to train if Victoria had looked after Brooklyn that day. He responded by fining Beckham the maximum amount that was permitted (two weeks' wages – then £50,000) and dropping him for a crucial match against United's rivals Leeds United. He later criticised Beckham for this in his autobiography, claiming he had not been "fair to his team mates".[21] Beckham had a good season for his club, though, and helped United to win the Premier League by a record margin. Following an injury early in the 2002–03 season, Beckham was unable to regain his place on the Manchester United team, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær having replaced him on the right side of midfield. His relationship with his manager deteriorated further on 15 February 2003 when, in the changing room following an FA Cup defeat to Arsenal, a furious Sir Alex Ferguson kicked a boot that struck Beckham over the eye, causing a cut that required stitches. The incident led to a great deal of transfer speculation involving Beckham, with bookmakers offering odds on whether he or Ferguson would be first to leave the club.[22] Although the team had started the season badly, their results improved greatly from December onwards and they won the league. He was still a first-choice player for England, however, and he was awarded an OBE for services to football on 13 June.[23] On 10 April 2002, Beckham was injured during a Champions League match against Deportivo La Coruña, breaking the second metatarsal bone in his left foot. There was speculation in the British media that the injury might have been caused deliberately, as the player who had injured Beckham was Argentinean Aldo Duscher, and England and Argentina were due to meet in that year's World Cup.[24] The injury prevented Beckham from playing for United for the rest of the season, but he signed a three-year contract in May, following months of negotiations with the club, mostly concerning extra payments for his image rights. The income from his new contract, and his many endorsement deals, made him the highest-paid player in the world at the time.[25] Beckham had made 265 Premier league appearances for United and scored 61 goals. He also made 81 Champions league appearances, scoring 15 goals. Beckham won 6 Premiership titles, 2 FA Cup's, one European Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and one FA Youth Cup in the space of 12 years. Real Madrid Beckham (top) and Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid Beckham (top) and Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid Manchester United had been keen to sell Beckham to Barcelona[26] but instead he signed a four-year contract with Real Madrid, with the transfer fee being about €35 million (£25m).[27] The transfer was completed on 1 July 2003 and made him the third Englishman to play for the club after Laurie Cunningham and Steve McManaman. Although Beckham had worn the number seven shirt for Manchester United and England, he was unable to wear it at Madrid as Raúl had the right to wear it written into his contract. He decided to wear number 23 instead, citing his admiration of basketball player Michael Jordan, who also wore the number 23 shirt, as the reason behind his decision.[28] Real Madrid finished the season in fourth place, and were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League at the quarter-final stage. But, Beckham immediately became a favourite with the Real Madrid supporters, scoring five times in his first 16 matches (including scoring less than 3 minutes into his La Liga debut), but the team, whose club president expected them to win either the Spanish league or the Champions League each season, did not match expectations. In July 2004, while Beckham was in pre-season training in Spain, an intruder scaled a wall at the Beckhams' home while carrying a can of petrol. Victoria and their children were in the house at the time, but security guards apprehended the man before he reached the house.[29] Beckham made more headlines on 9 October 2004 when he admitted intentionally fouling Ben Thatcher in an England match against Wales in order to get himself booked. Beckham was due to receive a one-match suspension for his next caution, and had picked up an injury, which he knew would keep him out of England's next match, so he deliberately fouled Thatcher in order to serve his suspension in a match that he would have had to miss anyway. The Football Association asked Beckham for an explanation of his actions and he admitted that he had "made a mistake" and apologised.[30] He was sent off shortly afterwards, this time in a league match for Real Madrid against Valencia CF. Having received a yellow card, he was judged to have sarcastically applaud the referee and was given a second yellow card, causing an automatic dismissal, although the suspension was cancelled on appeal two days later. He was sent off for the third time that season on 3 December 2005 in a league match against Getafe. In that season, Beckham led La Liga in number of assists. Real Madrid finished second to Barcelona in the 2005-06 La Liga, albeit with a large 12 point gap, and only reached the last sixteen in the Champions League after losing to Arsenal by one goal. Warming up with Real Madrid. Warming up with Real Madrid. During the season, Beckham established football academies in Los Angeles and east London and he was named a judge for the 2006 British Book Awards.[31] In 2007, Real Madrid won their first Spanish La Liga title in 3 years because of their superior head-to-head record against Barcelona, giving Beckham his first title since he joined Real Madrid. Initially out of favour with manager Fabio Capello, Beckham started only a few games at the beginning of the season, as the speedier Jose Antonio Reyes was normally preferred on the right wing. In the first nine matches Beckham started, Real lost seven. On 10 January 2007, after prolonged contract negotiations, Real Madrid's sporting director Predrag Mijatović announced that Beckham would not remain at Real Madrid after the end of the season. However, he later claimed that he was mistranslated and that he actually said that Beckham's contract had not been renewed yet.[32] On 11 January 2007 Beckham announced that he had signed a five-year deal to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy beginning 1 July 2007. On 13 January 2007 Fabio Capello said that Beckham had played his last game for Real Madrid, although he would continue to train with the team.[33] Capello backtracked on that statement and Beckham rejoined the team for their match against Real Sociedad on 10 February 2007 – he scored and Real Madrid won.[34] In his final UEFA Champions League appearance, Real Madrid were knocked out of the competition (by the away goals rule) on 7 March 2007. Beckham had made a total of 103 appearances in the Champions League, the third highest number of any player at the time. On 17 June 2007, the last day of the La Liga season, Beckham started in his final match for the club, a 3-1 win over Mallorca, which saw them clinch the title from Barcelona. Although he limped off the field, he was replaced by Jose Antonio Reyes who scored two goals and the team won the season's La Liga title, their first since Beckham had signed with them. Although both finished level on points, Madrid took the title because of their superior head-to-head record, capping a remarkable six-month turnaround for Beckham. A month after the conclusion of Beckham's Real career, Forbes magazine reported that he had been the party primarily responsible for the team's huge increase in merchandise sales, a total reported to top $600 million US during Beckham's four years at the club.[35] L.A. Galaxy It was confirmed on 11 January 2007 that David Beckham would be leaving Real Madrid to join MLS team Los Angeles Galaxy. The following day, Beckham's official press conference was held in conjunction with the 2007 MLS SuperDraft.[36] Beckham told reporters, "I'm coming there not to be a superstar. I'm coming there to be part of the team, to work hard and to hopefully win things. With me, it's about football. I'm coming there to make a difference. I'm coming there to play football... I'm not saying me coming over to the States is going to make soccer the biggest sport in America. That would be difficult to achieve. Baseball, basketball, American football, they've been around. But I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think I could make a difference."[37] Beckham (centre) scores his first goal for LA Galaxy Beckham (centre) scores his first goal for LA Galaxy Beckham's contract with Los Angeles Galaxy took effect on 11 July, and on 13 July, was officially unveiled as a Galaxy player at the Home Depot Center. Beckham chose to wear number 23, explaining it was because NBA legend Michael Jordan also wore 23. It was announced that Galaxy jersey sales had already reached a record figure of over 250,000 prior to this formal introduction.[38] On 21 July, Beckham made his Galaxy début after coming on in the 78th minute in a 1-0 loss to Chelsea during the World Series of Soccer.[39] Two weeks later, Beckham made his league début as a substitute on 9 August versus D.C. United.[40] Beckham returned to the pitch the following week, again facing D.C. United, in the SuperLiga semi-final on 15 August. During this game he had many firsts with the Galaxy; his first start, first yellow card and first game as team captain.[41] He also scored his first goal for the team, from a free kick, and also made his first assist, for Landon Donovan in the second half. These goals gave the team a 2-0 victory, and a place in the North American SuperLiga final versus CF Pachuca on 29 August. Beckham scores his famous 70 yard goal for LA Galaxy Beckham scores his famous 70 yard goal for LA Galaxy During the SuperLiga final against Pachuca, Beckham injured his right knee, with an MRI scan revealing that he had sprained his medial collateral ligament and would be out for six weeks. He returned to play in the final home match of the season. The Galaxy were eliminated from playoff contention on 21 October, in the final MLS match of the season, a 1-0 loss to Chicago Fire. Beckham played as a substitute in the match, bringing his season-totals to; eight matches played (5 league), one goal scored (0 league), and three assists (2 league). Beckham trained with Arsenal from January 4, 2008 for three weeks, until he returned to LA Galaxy for pre-season training.[42] Beckham scored his first league goal with the Galaxy on April 3 against the San Jose Earthquakes in the ninth minute.[43] On May 24, 2008, L.A. defeated the Kansas City Wizards 3-1, giving the Galaxy their first winning record in two years and moving the club into first place in the Western Division. The match was notable as Beckham scored a spectacular, empty-net goal from 70 yards out. The goal marked the second time in Beckham's career that he had scored from his own half and was even longer than his famous 1996 goal from the halfway line against Wimbledon.[44] International career Beckham as England captain. Beckham as England captain. Beckham made his first appearance for the England national football team on 1 September 1996, in a World Cup qualifying match against Moldova.[45] He became an automatic first-choice player at United during the 1996–97 season, helping them to retain the Premier League championship, and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year by his peers.[46] Beckham had played in all of England's qualifying matches for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and was part of the England squad at the World Cup finals in France,[47] but the team's manager Glenn Hoddle publicly accused him of not concentrating on the tournament,[48] and he did not start in either of England's first two matches. He was picked for their third match against Colombia and scored from a long-range free kick in a 2–0 victory, which was his first goal for England. In the second round (last 16) of that competition, he received a red card in England's match against Argentina.[49] Beckham, after having been fouled by Diego Simeone, kicked Simeone, striking him on the calf. Simeone later admitted to trying to get Beckham sent off by over-reacting to the kick and then, along with other members of his team, urging the referee to send Beckham off.[50] The match finished in a draw and England were eliminated in a penalty shootout. Many supporters and journalists blamed him for England's elimination and he became the target of criticism and abuse, including the hanging of an effigy outside a London pub, and the Daily Mirror printing a dartboard with a picture of him centred on the bullseye. Beckham also received death threats after the World Cup. [51] The abuse that Beckham was receiving from English supporters peaked during England's 3–2 defeat by Portugal in Euro 2000, a match where Beckham set up two goals, when a group of England supporters taunted him throughout the match.[52] Beckham responded with a one-fingered gesture and, while the gesture attracted some criticism, many of the newspapers that had previously encouraged his vilification asked their readers to stop abusing him.[53] On 15 November 2000, following Kevin Keegan's resignation as England manager in October, Beckham was promoted to team captain by the caretaker manager Peter Taylor, and then kept the role under new manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. He helped England to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Finals, with their performances including an impressive 5–1 victory over Germany in Munich. The final step in Beckham's conversion from villain to hero happened in England's 2–2 draw against Greece on 6 October 2001. England needed to win or draw the match in order to qualify outright for the World Cup, but were losing 2–1 with little time remaining. The rest of the England team were playing relatively poorly, and it was Beckham's inspirational performance that lifted his team mates. When Teddy Sheringham was fouled eight yards (7 m) outside the Greek penalty area, England were awarded a free-kick and Beckham ensured England's qualification with a curling strike of the kind that had become his trademark. Shortly afterwards, he was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2001. He once again finished runner-up, to Luís Figo of Portugal, for the FIFA World Player of the Year award. He was partially fit by the time of the 2002 FIFA World Cup and played in the first match against Sweden. Beckham scored the winning goal of the match against Argentina with a penalty, causing Argentina to fail to qualify for the knockout stage. England were knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Brazil. The following month, at the opening ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, Beckham escorted Kirsty Howard as she presented the Jubilee Baton to the Queen. Beckham played in all of England's matches at Euro 2004, but the tournament was a disappointment for him. He had a penalty saved in England's 2-1 defeat to France and missed another in a penalty shootout in the quarter final against Portugal. England lost the shootout and went out of the competition. Beckham became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in January 2005 and was involved in promoting London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.[54] In October 2005, Beckham's sending off against Austria made him the first ever England captain to be sent off and the first (and only) player to be sent off twice while playing for England. He captained England for the 50th time in a friendly international against Argentina the following month. In England's opening game against Paraguay on 10 June 2006 Beckham's free kick led to an own-goal by Carlos Gamarra, and England won 1-0. In England's next match, played against Trinidad and Tobago on 15 June 2006, Beckham's cross in the 83rd minute led to Peter Crouch's goal, which put England into the lead 1-0. Beckham gave another assist to Steven Gerrard. In the end they won 2-0. He was named Man-of-the-Match by tournament sponsor Budweiser for this game. During England's second round match against Ecuador, Beckham scored from a free kick in the 59th minute, becoming the first ever English player to score in three World Cups,[55] and giving England a 1-0 victory and a place in the quarter-finals. He was sick before the game and vomited several times as a result of dehydration and illness after he scored the winning goal. In the quarter-final against Portugal, Beckham was substituted following an injury shortly after half time and the England team went on to lose the match on penalties (3-1), the score having been 0-0 after extra time. After his substitution, Beckham was visibly shaken and emotional for not being able to play, being in tears at one point. A day after England were knocked out of the World Cup, an emotional Beckham made a statement in a news conference saying that he had stepped down as England captain,[56] saying, "It has been an honour and privilege to captain my country but, having been captain for 58 of my 95 [57] games, I feel the time is right to pass on the armband as we enter a new era under Steve McClaren". (Beckham had actually won 94 caps up to that point.) He was succeeded by Chelsea captain John Terry.[58] Having stepped down as captain after the World Cup, Beckham was dropped completely from the England national team selected by new coach Steve McClaren on 11 August 2006. McClaren claimed that he was "looking to go in a different direction" with the team, and that Beckham "wasn't included within that". McClaren said Beckham could be recalled in future. Shaun Wright-Phillips, Kieran Richardson and the World Cup alternative to Beckham, Aaron Lennon, were all included, although McClaren eventually opted to employ Steven Gerrard in that role. Beckham takes the free kick against Brazil that John Terry scored from. Beckham takes the free kick against Brazil that John Terry scored from. On 26 May 2007, Steve McClaren announced that Beckham would be recalled to the England squad for the first time since stepping down as their captain. Beckham started against Brazil in England's first match at the new Wembley Stadium and put in a positive performance. In the second half he set up England's goal converted by captain John Terry. It looked as though England would claim victory over Brazil, but newcomer Diego equalised in the dying seconds. In England's next match, a Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia, Beckham sent two trademark assists for Michael Owen and Peter Crouch, helping England to prevail 3-0. Beckham had assisted in three of England's four total goals in those two games,[59] and he stated his desire to continue to play for England after his move to the MLS. On 22 August 2007, Beckham played in a friendly for England against Germany, becoming the first ever to play for England while with a non-European club team.[60] On 21 November 2007, Beckham earned his 99th cap against Croatia, setting up a goal for Peter Crouch to tie the game at 2-2. Following the 2-3 loss, England failed to qualify for the Euro 2008 Finals. Despite this, Beckham said that he has no plans to retire from international football and wanted to continue playing for the national team.[61] After being passed over by new England coach and Beckham's former manager at Real Madrid, Fabio Capello, for a friendly against Switzerland which would have given him his hundredth cap, Beckham admitted that he was not in shape at the time, as he had not played a competitive match in three months.[62]. On 20 March 2008, Beckham was recalled to the England squad by Capello for the friendly against France in Paris on 26th March. Beckham became only the fifth Englishman to win 100 caps. Capello had hinted on March 25, 2008 that Beckham had a long term future in his side ahead of crucial qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[63]. On 11 May 2008, Capello included an in-form Beckham in his 31 man England squad to face the USA at Wembley Stadium on 28 May before the away fixture with Trinidad and Tobago on 1 June. Beckham was honored before the match by receiving an an honorary gold cap representing his 100th cap from Sir Bobby Charlton, and was given a standing ovation from the crowd. He played well and assisted John Terry on the match-winning goal. When substituted at half-time for David Bentley, the pro-Beckham crowd booed the decision.[64]. In a suprise move, Capello handed Beckham the captaincy for England's friendly against Trinidad & Tobago on 1 June 2008. The match was the first time since the 2006 World Cup that Beckham had skippered England and marked a dramatic turnaround for Beckham. In two years, he had gone from being dropped completely from the England squad to being reinstated (though temporarily) as England captain.[65] Discipline Former manager Sir Alex Ferguson said that he "practised with a discipline to achieve an accuracy that other players wouldn't care about."[66] He maintained his training routine at Real Madrid and even when his relationship with management was strained in early 2007, Ramon Calderon and Fabio Capello praised Beckham for maintaining his professionalism and commitment to the club.[67][68] Beckham was the first England player ever to collect two red cards and the first England captain to be sent off.[69] Beckham's most notorious red card was during the 1998 FIFA World Cup: after Argentina's Diego Simeone had fouled him, Beckham lashed out with his leg and the Argentine fell. England went on to lose the game on penalties. For Real Madrid he amassed 41 yellow cards and 4 red cards.[70] Beckham helped to keep Wayne Rooney's temper in check on several occasions.[71] Sporting titles and awards Individual * PFA Young Player of the Year: 1997 * Named in 1998 FIFA World Cup All-star team * FIFA World Player Of The Year Award finalist: 1999, 2001 (runner-up both years) * UEFA Club Player of the Year Winner: 1999 * UEFA Club Player of the Year Finalist: 2001 * BBC Sports Personality of the Year: 2001 * Named in Pelé's FIFA 100 list of the greatest living players.[72] Club Manchester United * Premier League - Champion (6): 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03 * Premier League - Runner Up: 1994–95, 1997–98 * FA Cup Winner (2): 1996, 1999 * FA Cup Runner Up: 1995 * UEFA Champions League Winner: 1998–99 * Intercontinental Cup: 1999 * UEFA Super Cup Runner Up: 1999 * Community Shield Winner (4): 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997 * Community Shield Runner Up: 1998, 2000, 2001 * FA Youth Cup Winner: 1992 Real Madrid * Primera División Champion: 2006–2007 * Supercopa de España: 2003 LA Galaxy * SuperLiga Runner-Up: 2007 Statistics Club Performance League Cup Continental Total Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals England League FA Cup Europe Total 1992-93 Manchester United Premier League 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 1993-94 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 1994-95 Preston North End Third Division 5 2 0 0 - 5 2 1994-95 Manchester United Premier League 4 0 0 0 1 1 5 1 1995-96 33 7 0 0 - 33 7 1996-97 36 7 9 0 10 2 55 9 1997-98 37 9 9 1 8 0 54 10 1998-99 34 6 5 0 12 2 51 7 1999-00 31 6 11 0 12 2 54 8 2000-01 31 9 5 2 12 0 48 11 2001-02 28 11 9 2 13 5 50 18 2002-03 31 6 0 0 13 3 44 9 Spain League Copa del Rey Europe Total 2003-04 Real Madrid La Liga 32 3 4 2 7 1 43 6 2004-05 30 4 0 0 8 0 38 4 2005-06 31 3 3 1 7 1 41 5 2006-07 23 3 2 1 6 0 31 4 USA League Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup North America Total 2007 Los Angeles Galaxy Major League Soccer 5 0 0 0 - 5 0 2008 6 3 - 6 3 Total England 270 63 48 5 81 15 399 83 Spain 116 13 9 4 28 2 153 19 USA 11 3 0 0 - 11 3 Career Total 394 77 57 9 109 17 560 103 Special recognition beyond sport * Named Officer in the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 * Named United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) "Goodwill Ambassador" (2005–present) * Voted "Britain's Greatest Ambassador" at the Greatest Britons 2007 awards[73] * Named as one of Time magazine's "Time 100 Heroes & Icons"[74] * Listed by Forbes as number 15 on their 2007 list of most influential celebrities, "The Celebrity 100"[75] * Listed by Arena as number 1 on their 2007 list of the 40 most influential men under the age of 40 in the UK[76] Personal life In 1997, Beckham started dating Victoria Adams, after she attended a Manchester United match. She was famously known as "Posh Spice" of the pop music group Spice Girls, one of the world's top pop groups at the time, and his team was also enjoying a great run of success. Therefore, their relationship instantly attracted a great deal of media attention. The couple were dubbed "Posh and Becks" by the media. He proposed to Victoria on 24 January 1998 in a restaurant in Cheshunt, England. He married Adams at Luttrellstown Castle, Ireland on 4 July 1999, and her name changed to Victoria Beckham. The wedding attracted tremendous media coverage. Beckham's teammate Gary Neville was the best man, and the couple's son Brooklyn, then four months old, was the ring bearer. The media were kept away from the ceremony, as the Beckhams had an exclusive deal with OK! Magazine, but newspapers were still able to obtain photographs showing them sitting on golden thrones.[77] 437 staff were employed for the wedding reception, which was estimated to have cost £500,000.[78] In 1999, the Beckhams purchased their most famous home, unofficially dubbed Beckingham Palace, near London. It is estimated to be worth £7.5 million pounds. David and Victoria have three sons: Brooklyn Joseph Beckham (born March 4, 1999 in London, England), Romeo James Beckham (born September 1, 2002 in London, England) and Cruz David Beckham (born February 20, 2005 in Madrid, Spain - contrary to popular opinion,[citation needed] Cruz is not named for family friend Tom Cruise, but is Spanish for "cross"). Both Brooklyn and Romeo's godfather is Elton John and godmother is Elizabeth Hurley.[79] They have stated that they would like to have more children, especially a daughter.[80] In April 2007, the family purchased their new Italian villa in Beverly Hills, California, to coincide with Beckham's transfer to the LA Galaxy in July. The mansion, priced at $22 million, is near the homes of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and talk-show host Jay Leno, in an exclusive gated community in the hills overlooking the city. Affair claims In April 2004, the British tabloid News of the World carried claims by his former personal assistant Rebecca Loos that he and Loos had an extramarital affair.[81][82] A week later, the Malaysian-born Australian model Sarah Marbeck claimed that she had slept with Beckham on two occasions. Beckham dismissed both accusations as "ludicrous".[83] According to glamour model and now UEFA sports agent Nuria Bermúdez, Beckham slept with nine women since arriving in Madrid, including herself and Loos. [84]. Further sordid claims of threesomes and other stories soon surfaced in the tabloids. However, there has never been any proof of any of the allegations of Beckham's claimed infidelity.[85] Fame beyond football Beckham's fame extends beyond the pitch; in much of the world his name is "as instantly recognizable as that of multinational companies like Coca-Cola and IBM."[86] Beckham's relationship and marriage to Victoria, who has been famous in her own right as part of the musical group Spice Girls, contributed to David's celebrity beyond football. Beckham became known as a fashion plate, and together with Victoria, the couple became lucrative spokespeople sought after by clothing designers, health and fitness specialists, fashion magazines, perfume and cosmetics manufacturers, hair stylists, exercise promoters, and spa and recreation companies. One recent example is a new line of aftershave and fragrances called David Beckham Instinct.[87] In 2002 Beckham was hailed as the ultimate 'metrosexual' by the man who invented the term [2][3] and has been described as such by scores of other articles since. In 2007, the Beckhams were reportedly paid $13.7 million to launch this fragrance line in the US. In the world of fashion, David has already appeared on the covers of countless magazines. In 2007, U.S. covers have included the men's magazine Details, and with his wife for the August 2007 issue of W.[88] According to Google, "David Beckham" was searched for more than any other sports topic on their site in 2003 and 2004.[89] Upon their arrival in Los Angeles on 12 July 2007, the night before Beckham's formal introduction, Los Angeles International Airport was packed with paparazzi and news reporters.[90] On the next night, Victoria appeared on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to talk about the their move to L.A., and presented Leno with a number 23 Galaxy jersey with his own name on the back. Victoria also talked about her NBC TV show "Victoria Beckham: Coming to America"[91] On 22 July, a huge private welcoming party was held for the couple at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. A-List celebrities attending included Steven Spielberg, Jim Carrey, George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Oprah Winfrey.[92] Charitable work * Beckham has supported UNICEF since his days at Manchester United and in January 2005 the England Football Captain became a Goodwill Ambassador with a special focus on UNICEF's Sports for Development program. * On 17 January 2007, Rebecca Johnstone, a 19-year-old cancer patient in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada received a surprise phone call from Beckham. After the conversation, he sent her a Real Madrid Jersey with his signature on it. Rebecca passed away on 29 January 2007.[93] * Beckham is currently a spokesman for Malaria No More, a New York-based non-profit launched in 2006. Malaria No More's mission is to end deaths caused by malaria in Africa. Beckham appears in a 2007 Public Service Announcement advertising the need for inexpensive bed nets. The TV spot currently airs in the U.S. on FOX Networks including Fox Soccer Channel, and can also be seen on YouTube.[94] * Since he has joined MLS, he has been a very public advocate in the U.S. for related charities such as MLS W.O.R.K.S. On 17 August 2007, he conducted a youth clinic in New York City's Harlem, along with other current and former MLS players. This was in advance of his first New York City area match the following day against the Red Bulls. That team's Jozy Altidore and Juan Pablo Ángel also were with Beckham, teaching skills to disadvantaged youth to benefit FC Harlem Lions.[95] Appearances in films Bend It Like Beckham Beckham never personally appeared in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham except in archive footage. He and his wife wanted to make cameo appearances but scheduling proved difficult, so the director used lookalikes instead.[96] The Goal! Trilogy "Beckham" makes a cameo appearance with Zidane and Raùl, in the 2005 film Goal!: The Dream Begins. Lookalike Andy Harmer, who played Beckham in Bend It..., also appears here in one party scene as Becks.[97] Beckham himself appears in the sequel Goal! 2: Living the Dream...[98] in a larger role, when the film's lead character gets transferred to Real Madrid. This time the story centers around the Real Madrid team, and besides Beckham, other real life Real Madrid players also appear on and off the pitch, alongside the fictional characters. Beckham also will appear in Goal! 3, scheduled for release in 2008.[99] Asterix at the Olympic Games (Astérix aux jeux olympiques) In his first feature film role playing someone other than himself, Beckham has a small part (again alongside former Real teammate Zidane) in this live-action French-language take on the comic, with a release scheduled to coincide with the 2008 Bejing Summer Olympic Games.[100] Despite moving to Los Angeles, Beckham has expressed no personal interest in pursuit of acting roles, saying he is too "stiff".[101] Records Beckham has captained England 59 times during his tenure as England captain,[102] one of the most in England's history. With his free kick goal against Ecuador in the second round of the 2006 World Cup, Beckham gained membership into two of football's exclusive clubs: he became the only English player — and the 21st player regardless of nationality — to score in three world cups. Real Madrid team-mate Raúl also achieved this feat a few days earlier.[103] It also made him only the fifth player in World Cup history to score twice from a direct free kick; the other four were Pelé, Rivelino, Teófilo Cubillas and Bernard Genghini (Beckham had previously scored this way against Colombia in the first round of the 1998 World Cup). All three goals were against South American teams (Colombia, Argentina and Ecuador) and from set pieces (the two aforementioned free kicks and a penalty against Argentina). Tattoos Beckham has many tattoos on his body, one of which is the name of his wife Victoria, written in Hindi, because Beckham thought it would be "tacky" to have it in English. Another tattoo, written in Hebrew reads אני לדודי ודודי לי הרעה בשושנים, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine, that shepherds among the lilies." This is from the Song of Songs in the Hebrew Bible, and a popular Jewish paean to fidelity. Beckham has also been ridiculed in the press for looking like a "Hell's Angel biker" and a "football yob" due to his ever-expanding number of tattoos, their design and location.[104] A chronology of Beckham's tattoos[105] includes: * April 1999 - Son Brooklyn's name on his back. * April 1999 - An angel on his back. * 2000 - Hindi "Victoria" design on his left arm. * April 2002 - Roman numeral VII on right forearm. * May 2003 - Latin phrase "Perfectio In Spiritu", meaning "Spiritual Perfection", on his right arm. * May 2003 - More Latin, "Ut Amem Et Foveam" or "So That I Love And Cherish", on his left arm. * 2003 - Romeo's name on his back. * 2003 - Classical art design on his right shoulder. * 2004 - Winged cross on his neck. * 2004 - Angel with motto "In The Face of Adversity" on right arm. * Mar 2005 - Cruz's name on his back. * June 2006 - Second angel and clouds added to right arm and shoulder. * Jan 2008 - Portrait of Victoria on left arm. * Feb 2008 - "Forever by your side" on left forearm. * 9th Mar 2008 in 4th floor, No 8, Cameron Road, Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong [106] - The Chinese proverb "Death and life have determined appointments. Riches and honour depend on heaven." down his left torso, running from his nipple to his groin. See also * Soccer in the United States * Supercouple References Books * Beckham, David (2002). David Beckham: My Side. HarperCollinsWillow. (ISBN 0-00-715732-0). * Beckham, David; Freeman, Dean (2001). Beckham: My World. Hodder & Stoughton Ltd. (ISBN 0-340-79270-1). * Beckham, David; Watt, Tom (2003). Beckham: Both Feet on the Ground. HarperCollins. (ISBN 0-06-057093-8). * Crick, Michael (2003). The Boss -- The Many Sides of Alex Ferguson. Pocket Books. (ISBN 0-7434-2991-5). * Ferguson, Alex; McIlvanney, Hugh (1999). Managing My Life -- My Autobiography. Hodder & Stoughton. (ISBN 0-340-72855-8). Internet 1. ^ David Beckham Profile on Soccerbase.com 2. ^ Jones, Grahame. "Beckham's first start for Galaxy full of firsts", Los Angeles Times, August 16, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-16. 3. ^ Beckham is world's highest-paid player 4. ^ Google Press Center: Zeitgeist 5. ^ Brand it like Beckham. money.cnn.com (2007-06-06). Retrieved on 2007-08-21. 6. ^ Becks and Bucks 7. ^ Beckham recalled to England squad. BBC Sport (2007-05-26). Retrieved on 2007-05-28. 8. ^ Bandini, Paolo. "Beckham confirms LA Galaxy move", The Guardian, 2007-01-11. Retrieved on 2007-05-10. 9. ^ Home 10. ^ On the Beckham Watch... 11. ^ Ancestry of David Beckham, compiled by Michael J. Wood. 12. ^ Beckhams ‘to send son to LA Jewish nursery’. Jewish Chronicle (2008-04-18). Retrieved on 2008-05-05. 13. ^ Beckham launches into the Galaxy. Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 14. ^ The FA - Becks' Brimsdown boost, article from 24th September 2004 accessed 7th July 2007 15. ^ "Second leg" refers to the second of two matches that are played to decide the tie. The scores from the two matches are added together to determine the winner. 16. ^ The most famous comment was Alan Hansen's "You can't win anything with kids", quoted in The Boss 405. Beckham scored United's goal from a distance of around 30 metres. 17. ^ Euro 96 stars going strong. FA (2005-01-21). Retrieved on 2007-07-16. 18. ^ Sky Sports' commentator Martin Tyler's words "You'll see that over and over again" proved prophetic as the goal was voted Premier League Goal of the Decade in 2003. 19. ^ Fixture List for 1997/98 Season. geocities.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-16. 20. ^ Man Utd's flawed genius?. BBC News, 7 January 2000. Retrieved on 6 October, 2005. 21. ^ The Boss 469. 22. ^ Will Becks give Man Utd the boot?. BBC News, 18 February 2003. Retrieved on 6 October, 2005. 23. ^ Beckham's pride at OBE. BBC News, 13 June 2003. Retrieved on 6 October, 2005. 24. ^ Did "hatchet man" target Beckham?. ESPN Socernet, 2 April 2002. Retrieved on 7 October, 2005. 25. ^ Beckham signs new contract. BBC News, May 2002. Retrieved on 7 October, 2005. 26. ^ Beckham to stay in Spain. Guardian Unlimited Football, 11 June 2003. Retrieved on 24 May, 2006. 27. ^ Equivalent to, at the time, £25,000,000 or US$41,000,000. 28. ^ The number 23. The Guardian (2003-06-03). Retrieved on 2007-06-09. 29. ^ Intruder alert for Victoria Beckham. Manchester Online, 20 July 2004. Retrieved on 9 October, 2005. 30. ^ FA wants explanation from Beckham. BBC News, 14 October 2004. Retrieved on 6 October, 2005. 31. ^ Maul, Kimberly. David Beckham: Soccer Star and Book Judge. The Book Standard. 11 January 2006. 32. ^ "Uncertainty over Beckham's future at Real Madrid", International Herald Tribune, 10 January 2007. Retrieved on 2007-05-10. 33. ^ "Real coach calls time on Beckham", BBC Sport, 13 January 2007. Retrieved on 2007-01-13. 34. ^ "Beckham scores on Madrid return", BBC Sport, 10 February 2007. Retrieved on 2007-02-10. 35. ^ "Becks and Bucks" 36. ^ Events surround MLS SuperDraft. MLSnet.com. 10 January 2007. 37. ^ Associated Press. "Beckham set to invade America", 12 January 2007. 38. ^ The Beckham has Landed. socceramerica.com (2007-07-13). Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 39. ^ David Beckham’s First Match in Major League Soccer Live on ESPN Saturday, July 21. ESPN (2007-07-05). Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 40. ^ Beckham makes MLS debut but Galaxy stumbles in D.C.. USA Today. Retrieved on 2007-08-15. 41. ^ "Beckham takes captain's armband to great effect", ESPN.com, 2007-08-16. 42. ^ BBC Sport: Beckham begins Arsenal training 43. ^ Beckham, Donovan propel L.A. past Quakes. ESPN.com (2008-04-04). Retrieved on 2008-04-04. 44. ^ ESPNsoccernet - MLS - Canales: Beckham shows scoring touch against Wizards 45. ^ Moldova 0 - England 3. englandstats.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-16. 46. ^ English PFA Young Player Of The Year Award. napit.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-07-16. 47. ^ England in World Cup 1998 Squad Records. englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-10. 48. ^ Beckham Blasts Hoddle. Dispatch Online, 29 June 1998. Retrieved on 5 October, 2005. 49. ^ "Argentina 2-2 England", englandfc.com, 30 June 1998. URL accessed on 25 June 2006. 50. ^ Simeone admits trying to get Beckham sent off. Rediff Sports, 19 May 2002. Retrieved on 26 October, 2005. 51. ^ Beckham's Darkest Hour. Article on official UEFA website. Retrieved on 6 October, 2005. 52. ^ A reference to Brooklyn. Leader -- Play games behind closed doors. New Statesman, 26 June 2000. Retrieved on 4 October, 2005. 53. ^ Media sympathy for Beckham's gesture. BBC News, 14 June 2000. Retrieved on 4 October, 2005. 54. ^ David Beckham, Goodwill Ambassador. UNICEF official website. Retrieved on 9 October, 2005. 55. ^ "England 1-0 Ecuador", BBC Sport, 25 June 2006. URL accessed on 25 June 2006. 56. ^ "Beckham quits as England captain", BBC Sport, 2 July 2006. URL accessed on 2 July 2006. 57. ^ This was an error on Beckham's part - he had played 94 times for England by this stage. 58. ^ Terry named new England skipper. Retrieved on 10 August 2006. 59. ^ Three's the magic number. TheFA.com (2007-06-06). Retrieved on 2007-06-09. 60. ^ Becks and England suffer Wembley woe 61. ^ Beckham dismisses retirement talk, BBC Sport 2007-11-21. Retrieved on 2007-11-22. 62. ^ Beckham acknowledges lack of fitness., FOX Sports, 2008-02-28, . Retrieved on 1 March 2008 63. ^ Beckham to start in Paris for 100th cap, CNN, 2008-03-26, . Retrieved on 26 March 2008 64. ^ Hart & Jagielka in England Squad, BBC, 2008-05-11, . Retrieved on 11 May 2008 65. ^ Capello names Beckham as captain for T&T friendly, FOX Sports, 2008-05-31, . Retrieved on 31 May 2008 66. ^ Manchester United Legends - David Beckham. manutdzone.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-28. 67. ^ Beckham will not play for Real again - Capello. chinadaily.com (2007-01-14). Retrieved on 2007-05-28. 68. ^ Coach says Beckham won't play again for Real Madrid. International Herald Time (2007-01-13). Retrieved on 2007-05-28. 69. ^ Beckham red card but joy for Sven, The Sunday Times, 9 October 2005. Retrieved on 9 April 2007. 70. ^ Beckham Magazine - Statistics 71. ^ BBC SPORT | Football | Galaxy owners defend Beckham move 72. ^ FIFA's top 100 list 73. ^ "[1]" 74. ^ David Beckham: Soccer's Metrosexual. TIME magazine. 75. ^ The Celebrity 100. Forbes. Retrieved on 2007-07-17. 76. ^ Britain’s original style magazine – for men 77. ^ Sun pips OK! to Posh wedding photos. BBC News, 6 July 1999. Retrieved on 25 May, 2006. 78. ^ Wedded spice. BBC News, 5 July 1999. Retrieved on 2 December, 2005. 79. ^ Victoria and David Beckham Marriage Profile 80. ^ David, Victoria Beckham Have a Third Son - Birth, David Beckham, Victoria Beckham : People.com 81. ^ BBC.co.uk: Beckham story is tabloids' dream 82. ^ TimesOnline: Beckham flies back to Madrid from holiday 83. ^ Beckham to stay in Spain. BBC News, 20 May 2004. Retrieved on 7 October, 2005. 84. ^ Wannabe: How the Spice Girls Reinvented Pop Fame, David Sinclair, p281. Retrieved on 2008-06-02. 85. ^ "Did Becks have a threesome?" Article from the Daily Mail 8 April 2004. Retrieved on 2008-06-02. 86. ^ Beckham the worldwide brand, a June 2006 article from an Associated New Media website 87. ^ David Beckham Instinct 88. ^ The Beckhams: American Idols: W Feature Story on Style.com 89. ^ 2003 Year-End Google Zeitgeist. Google.com. Retrieved on 9 October, 2005., 2004 Year-End Google Zeitgeist. Google.com. Retrieved on 9 October, 2005. 90. ^ The Beckhams Take Hollywood 91. ^ Victorial Beckham coming to America 92. ^ Hollywood breathlessly awaits Beckhams 93. ^ "To Rebecca, with love", Toronto Star, 26 January, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-02-02. 94. ^ David Beckham: Fight Malaria by Donating a $10 Bed Net 95. ^ Video: Juan Pablo Angel, David Beckham to Assist MLS W.O.R.K.S.. paddocktalk.com (2007-08-18). Retrieved on 2007-08-21. 96. ^ Bend It Like Beckham at the Internet Movie Database 97. ^ beckhamlookalike.com 98. ^ Goal! 2: Living the Dream... at the Internet Movie Database 99. ^ David Beckham 100. ^ Astérix aux jeux olympiques (2008) 101. ^ David Beckham's Hollywood snub. askmen.com (2007-03-02). Retrieved on 2007-08-15. 102. ^ Beckham stands down. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 103. ^ "England 1-0 Ecuador", BBC Sport, 25 June 2006. URL accessed on 25 June 2006. 104. ^ "Beckham's tattoo sparks debate", BBC News, 22 May 2004. Retrieved on 2006-06-27. 105. ^ "Becks' tatt-trick", Daily Star, 16 March 2005. 106. ^ Beckham Receives Tattoo (accessed 19/03/2008) Beckham obtained the tattoo on 9th March 2008 in Hong Kong, from an artist named Gabie at 龍威雕師. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant also obtained tattoos from the same artist. External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: David Beckham Wikimedia Commons has media related to: David Beckham * David Beckham FIFA competition record * The Official David Beckham Website * The David Beckham Academy * Tactical Profile at Football-Lineups.com * David Beckham at the Internet Movie Database * David Beckham at People.com * Profile on Manchester United Legends * "Futbol Meets Football" adidas official video site * "David Beckham's Soccer USA" TV series official video site * Complete post-match press conference following MLS debut on 8/9/07/ at AOL Video * Videos of David Beckham at LA Galaxy on mReplay Articles * On the Beckham Watch... 18 August 2007 * L.A. Rides Beckham Brilliance past D.C. 15 August 2007 * Beckham Makes Galaxy regular-season debut 9 August 2007 * Start of Something Big 22 July 2007 * Beckham all the talk at MLS All-Star game 19 July 2007 * Hollywood breathlessly awaits Beckhams 19 July 2007 * Fox TV announces new series "David Beckham's Soccer USA" 18 July 2007 * L.A. the spot for family man Beckham 15 July 2007 * MLS Behind the Net...video 13 July 2007 * Becks and Bucks at Forbes.com 6 July 2007 * Brand It Like Beckham at CNNMoney.com 6 July 2007 * Beckham Advertising Blitz about to Begin 24 June 2007 Awards Preceded by Robbie Fowler PFA Young Player of the Year 1997 Succeeded by Michael Owen Preceded by Zinedine Zidane UEFA Club Football Awards Best Midfielder 1998–99 Succeeded by Gaizka Mendieta Preceded by Ronaldo UEFA Club Footballer of the Year 1998–99 Succeeded by Fernando Redondo Preceded by Steve Redgrave BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2001 Succeeded by Paula Radcliffe Sporting positions Preceded by Alan Shearer England football captain 2000–2006 Succeeded by John Terry [show] v • d • e England squad - 1998 FIFA World Cup 1 Seaman • 2 Campbell • 3 Le Saux • 4 Ince • 5 Adams • 6 Southgate • 7 Beckham • 8 Batty • 9 Shearer • 10 Sheringham • 11 McManaman • 12 Neville • 13 Martyn • 14 Anderton • 15 Merson • 16 Scholes • 17 Lee • 18 Keown • 19 L. Ferdinand • 20 Owen • 21 R. Ferdinand • 22 Flowers • Coach: Hoddle Flag of England [show] v • d • e England squad - 2000 UEFA European Championship 1 Seaman • 2 G. Neville • 3 P. Neville • 4 Campbell • 5 Adams • 6 Keown • 7 Beckham • 8 Scholes • 9 Shearer • 10 Owen • 11 McManaman • 12 Southgate • 13 Martyn • 14 Ince • 15 Barry • 16 Gerrard • 17 Wise • 18 Barmby • 19 Heskey • 20 Phillips • 21 Fowler • 22 Wright • Coach: Keegan Flag of England [show] v • d • e England squad - 2002 FIFA World Cup 1 Seaman • 2 Mills • 3 A. Cole • 4 Sinclair • 5 Ferdinand • 6 Campbell • 7 Beckham • 8 Scholes • 9 Fowler • 10 Owen • 11 Heskey • 12 Brown • 13 Martyn • 14 Bridge • 15 Keown • 16 Southgate • 17 Sheringham • 18 Hargreaves • 19 J. Cole • 20 Vassell • 21 Butt • 22 James • 23 Dyer • Coach: Eriksson Flag of England [show] v • d • e England squad - 2004 UEFA European Championship 1 James • 2 G. Neville • 3 A. Cole • 4 Gerrard • 5 Terry • 6 Campbell • 7 Beckham • 8 Scholes • 9 Rooney • 10 Owen • 11 Lampard • 12 Bridge • 13 Robinson • 14 P. Neville • 15 King • 16 Carragher • 17 Butt • 18 Hargreaves • 19 J. Cole • 20 Dyer • 21 Heskey • 22 Walker • 23 Vassell • Coach: Eriksson Flag of England [show] v • d • e England squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Robinson • 2 Neville • 3 A. Cole • 4 Gerrard • 5 Ferdinand • 6 Terry • 7 Beckham • 8 Lampard • 9 Rooney • 10 Owen • 11 J. Cole • 12 Campbell • 13 James • 14 Bridge • 15 Carragher • 16 Hargreaves • 17 Jenas • 18 Carrick • 19 Lennon • 20 Downing • 21 Crouch • 22 Carson • 23 Walcott • Coach: Eriksson Flag of England [show] v • d • e Los Angeles Galaxy – current squad 1 Cronin • 2 Randolph • 3 Vanney • 4 Jazić • 7 Klein • 8 Vagenas • 10 Donovan • 11 Sesay • 12 Roberts • 14 Buddle • 15 Pires • 16 Franchino • 17 Xavier • 19 Tudela • 20 Ruíz • 21 Gordon • 23 Beckham • 24 Valentin • 26 Allen • 28 Franklin • 29 Gavin • 30 Higgins • 31 Wicks • 32 McDonald • 35 Alamo • Bolkan • Adzemian • Coach: Gullit ‹ The template below (World Soccer Magazine 100 Greatest) is being considered for deletion. See templates for deletion to help reach a consensus. › [show] v • d • e World Soccer Magazine – The 100 Greatest Players of the 20th Century Pelé • Maradona • Cruijff • Beckenbauer • Platini • di Stéfano • Puskás • Best • Van Basten • Eusébio • Yashin • Charlton • Ronaldo • Moore • Müller • Baggio • Matthews • Zico • Baresi • Garrincha • Maldini • Dalglish • Batistuta • Cantona • Hagi • Romário • Jairzinho • Zidane • Gullit • Charles • Matthäus • Banks • Klinsmann • Bergkamp • Rummenigge • Lineker • Meazza • Rivelino • Didi • Rush • Schmeichel • Rossi • Weah • Owen • Fontaine • Edwards • Zoff • Stoichkov • Beckham • Finney • Rivaldo • Caniggia • Tostão • Rijkaard • Chilavert • Keegan • Gascoigne • Milla • Laudrup • Shevchenko • Ginola • Hoddle • Sócrates • Roberto Carlos • Shearer • Passarella • Šuker • Dean • Kocsis • Schiaffino • Vieri • Kempes • Neeskens • Riva • Nasazzi • Netzer • Del Piero • Valderrama • Zamora • Francescoli • Davids • Gento • Baxter • Falcão • Giggs • Maier • Boniek • Jennings • Sárosi • Facchetti • Hansen • Kopa • Robson • Sammer • Kubala • Southall • Gérson • Futre • Elkjær • Bebeto [show] v • d • e BBC Sports Personality of the Year winners 1954-1959 1954 Christopher Chataway · 1955 Gordon Pirie · 1956 Jim Laker · 1957 Dai Rees · 1958 Ian Black · 1959 John Surtees 1960-1969 1960 David Broome · 1961 Stirling Moss · 1962 Anita Lonsbrough · 1963 Dorothy Hyman · 1964 Mary Rand · 1965 Tom Simpson · 1966 Bobby Moore · 1967 Henry Cooper · 1968 David Hemery · 1969 Ann Jones 1970-1979 1970 Henry Cooper · 1971 HRH The Princess Anne · 1972 Mary Peters · 1973 Jackie Stewart · 1974 Brendan Foster · 1975 David Steele · 1976 John Curry · 1977 Virginia Wade · 1978 Steve Ovett · 1979 Sebastian Coe 1980-1989 1980 Robin Cousins · 1981 Ian Botham · 1982 Daley Thompson · 1983 Steve Cram · 1984 Jayne Torvill / Christopher Dean · 1985 Barry McGuigan · 1986 Nigel Mansell · 1987 Fatima Whitbread · 1988 Steve Davis · 1989 Nick Faldo 1990-1999 1990 Paul Gascoigne · 1991 Liz McColgan · 1992 Nigel Mansell · 1993 Linford Christie · 1994 Damon Hill · 1995 Jonathan Edwards · 1996 Damon Hill · 1997 Greg Rusedski · 1998 Michael Owen · 1999 Lennox Lewis 2000-2009 2000 Steve Redgrave · 2001 David Beckham · 2002 Paula Radcliffe · 2003 Jonny Wilkinson · 2004 Kelly Holmes · 2005 Andrew Flintoff · 2006 Zara Phillips · 2007 Joe Calzaghe Persondata NAME Beckham, David ALTERNATIVE NAMES SHORT DESCRIPTION Professional football player DATE OF BIRTH May 2, 1975 (1975-05-02) (age 33) PLACE OF BIRTH Leytonstone, London DATE OF DEATH PLACE OF DEATH Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Beckham" Categories: 1975 births | BBC Sports Personality of the Year winners | British expatriates in the United States | England international footballers | England under-21 international footballers | English bloggers | English expatriate footballers | Expatriate soccer players in the United States | English male models | FIFA 100 | 1998 FIFA World Cup players | 2002 FIFA World Cup players | 2006 FIFA World Cup players | Football (soccer) midfielders | La Liga footballers | Living people | Los Angeles Galaxy players | Major League Soccer players | Manchester United F.C. players | Officers of the Order of the British Empire | People diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder | People from Leytonstone | Premier League players | Preston North End F.C. players | Real Madrid footballers | The Football League players | UEFA Euro 2000 players | UEFA Euro 2004 players Hidden categories: Semi-protected against vandalism | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since April 2008 Views * Article * Discussion * View source * History Personal tools * Log in / create account Navigation * Main Page * Contents * Featured content * Current events * Random article Interaction * About Wikipedia * Community portal * Recent changes * Contact Wikipedia * Donate to Wikipedia * Help Search Toolbox * What links here * Related changes * Upload file * Special pages * Printable version * Permanent link * Cite this page Languages * العربية * বাংলা * Български * Català * Česky * Cymraeg * Dansk * Deutsch * Eesti * Ελληνικά * Español * Esperanto * فارسی * Français * Gaeilge * Galego * 한국어 * Hrvatski * Ido * Bahasa Indonesia * Italiano * עברית * ქართული * Lietuvių * Magyar * Bahasa Melayu * Nederlands * 日本語 * ‪Norsk (bokmål)‬ * ‪Norsk (nynorsk)‬ * Polski * Português * Română * Русский * Shqip * Simple English * Slovenčina * Slovenščina * Српски / Srpski * Suomi * Svenska * ไทย * Tiếng Việt * Tok Pisin * Türkçe * Українська * ייִדיש * 粵語 * 中文 Powered by MediaWiki Wikimedia Foundation * This page was last modified on 8 June 2008, at 02:37. * All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. 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