David Beckham Childhood Story Plus Untold Biography Facts

David Beckham Childhood Story Plus Untold Biography Facts

LifeBogger presents the Full Story of a Manchester United Legend and Club owner who is best known by the Nickname; ‘Dave’.

Our version of David Beckham’s Childhood Story, including his Untold Biography, brings you a full account of notable events from his boyhood days to date.

The analysis of the Manchester United and English Football Legend involves his life story before fame, family life and many OFF and ON-Pitch little-known facts about him.

Yes, everyone knows David Beckham is known for being a legendary English footballer who gained fame for his exceptional crossing and free-kick abilities. Also, for his fashionable off-field persona.

In our course of writing, we found that not many football lovers have read David Beckham’s biography. So we have prepared it, and without further ado, let’s begin;

David Beckham’s Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:

Young David Beckham, alongside his parents in his early years.
Young David Beckham, alongside his parents in his early years.

For Biography starters, David Robert Joseph Beckham was born on the 2nd of May 1975 in Leytonstone, London, to David Edward Alan Beckham (father) and Sandra Georgina West (mother).

He was christened David Robert Joseph Beckham–taking his grandfather’s name.

David Beckham was the family’s only son. A middle child between two sisters, Beckham grew up with parents and siblings who were committed fans of Manchester United, England’s legendary soccer franchise.

David inherited his parents’ love of Manchester United, and his main sporting passion was football.

David Beckham as a kid.
David Beckham as a kid. He grew up in a family that ardently supported Manchester United, a passion he naturally inherited.

When David was a toddler, his dad, Ted, made balls out of rolled-up socks for him to kick. He became a phenom almost from the moment he could first kick a soccer ball.

By the age of four, he was honing his technique for several hours a week in the park close to his home. His dream kick-started at this point.

In a 2007 interview, Beckham said, “At school, whenever the teachers asked, ‘What do you want to do when you’re older?’

I’d say, ‘I want to be a footballer.’ And they’d say, ‘No, what do you really want to do for a job?’ But that was the only thing I ever wanted to do.”

David Beckham Biography – Early Life in Football:

When David was 7, Ted and Sandra (his parents) handed their son over to Manchester United’s youth training scheme.

The boyhood years of David Beckham.
The boyhood years of David Beckham.

They will drive almost 200 miles each weekend to visit him. David Beckham grew into a handsome young teen and went on to achieve far more than they expected.

At an early age, Beckham showed his own promise as a footballer, winning the coveted Bobby Charlton Soccer Schools National Skills competition at 13 years old.

His talent soon caught the notice of Manchester United team officials, who asked him to try out for the club’s youth league.

By the age of 16, Beckham had left home and was playing for United’s training division. Two years later, he made the club, and by 1995, he was a full-time starter.

David Beckham Biography – His Father:

His father, David Edward Alan Beckham, also known as ‘Ted’ was an appliance repairman and a kitchen fitter.

He is close to his dad and loves to pay tribute to him for the energy spent raising him to a man.

On a particular Father’s Day, David Beckham said, “Happy Father’s Day, dad… Thank you for all the support you have given me over the years…”

David Beckham's father, David Edward Alan 'Ted' Beckham, worked as an appliance repairman and kitchen fitter.
David Beckham’s father, David Edward Alan ‘Ted’ Beckham, worked as an appliance repairman and kitchen fitter.

David Beckham’s father and his wife Sandra separated, then divorced in 2002 after 33 years of marriage.

This was a point where Beckham kept some distance from his dad, who never told him he was leaving his mother. Both David Beckham and his sisters, Lynne and Joanne, blamed him for the break-up.

David Beckham Bio – Issues with Father:

The failure, after so many years, of his parent’s marriage, came just before Beckham’s departure from Manchester United for Real Madrid.

His father ‘Ted’ had worshipped Man United throughout his boyhood. Ted learned the news of his son’s transfer not from David himself but from his agent.

This hit him “like a sledgehammer”. He was bitterly opposed to the move and accused Man Utd manager Sir Alex Ferguson of betrayal.

Angry and embarrassed, Beckham refused to invite his father to watch him sign his new contract with Real.

Ted was devastated.“I don’t know if I can repair my relationship with him,” Ted said. “We’ve hardly spoken.

My biggest upset was not being invited to his signing. I’m choked, really. I’ve been there since day one and that really upset me.

I’ll never forgive him for that. ”The emotional distance between father and son was compounded by the physical distance.

“I’ve lost him – that’s how I feel,” Ted said at the time. “We’ve lost that comradeship we had between us. It will be even worse now he’s gone to Madrid.

I still have to work, and I can’t afford to fly over to Madrid every week. When he was at Manchester United, I could pop in the car and drive up the road. I can’t do that now. My biggest fear is that it is all over for us.”

David Beckham’s father died of a heart attack at the age of 59. He died in the ambulance, taking him to the hospital for emergency surgery to unblock an artery.

Beckham was with him at that time and reunited with him before his death.

David Beckham’s Mum:

The mother of the Football Legend, Sandra, is a hairstylist.

She babysits his son’s children each time he and his wife travel for celebrity tours.

Celebrity Relationship Life with Victoria Beckham:

His bravado and good looks offered up plenty of off-field potential, too. That big lady includes admirers coming to the Prestigious Old Trafford to watch him play. Little did he know he had been admired by one of the spice girls.

In 1997, Beckham started dating Victoria Beckham 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. Also, at that time, Beckham was leading his team to a great run of success.

The Beckham brand only enhanced in value when he met Victoria Adams, also known as “Posh Spice” of the Spice Girls, in 1997. The two quickly fell in love, and their relationship instantly attracted a great deal of media attention.

The media dubbed the couple “Posh and Becks”. He proposed to her on 24 January 1998 in a restaurant in Cheshunt, England.

On March 4, 1999, beautiful Victoria and ever-handsome Beckham had their first child, a son they named Brooklyn Joseph.

Two months later, Beckham and Victoria tied the knot at a lavish $800,000 wedding at a castle outside of Dublin, Ireland.

His marriage to the former Spice Girls moved him into the deepest realms of celebrity never seen before by a footballer. He became the most likeable male character in the world.

In July 2011, he and his wife, Victoria Beckham, who already had three boys together (Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz), welcomed a daughter, Harper Seven, into their family.

Beckham is a family man and has also been recognised as a role model for other fathers. In June, he was voted as the celebrity father that dads would most want to be like.

David Beckham Tattoos:

We’d be hard-pressed to find something David Beckham cares about more than his family, so it’s never much of a surprise when he goes under the needle for a tattoo honouring his smoking hot wife, kids, parents, loved ones and beliefs.

He has more than 40 tattoos, each having a special meaning and special designs.

David Beckham is best known for his always-expanding collection of ink in his model body.

Beckham has, however, played in long-sleeved shirts to cover up his tattoos in consideration of others who may feel uncomfortable because of their beliefs.

David Beckham Lifestyle – How Rich are the Beckhams? Wealthier than the Queen?

The Beckham family once became a lucrative marketing machine as their wealth grew to amazing figures.

The whole family was once worth an estimated half a billion pounds, according to brand experts.

David and Victoria’s separate business ventures, as well as the marketing appeal of the couple and their children, Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper, were all taken into consideration.

They estimate the family was once £470m. It rose in value by around £30m to £40m each year. That makes the household richer than the Queen.

According to the Sunday Times Rich List, The Queen’s estimated fortune was £340m as at the time of their comparison. In 2013, David Beckham topped a list of the world’s fifty richest footballers. He earned £175million, beating Lionel Messi £115.5million and C Ronaldo.

His wealth was calculated from identifiable wealth, including annual accounts submitted to Companies House, properties, salary details, bonuses and other business interests. That year was his most successful year despite being well into the autumn of his playing career.

David Beckham Religion:

He is of Jewish heritage and sometimes practices Judaism. Beckham’s maternal grandfather was Jewish, and Beckham has referred to himself as “half Jewish.

In his autobiography, he wrote..“I’ve probably had more contact with Judaism than with any other religion. I used to wear the traditional Jewish skullcaps when I was younger, and I also went along to some Jewish weddings with my grandfather.”

So if his grandmother was a Jew, then his mother Sandra is, and so is David. There are rumours, though, that David Beckham – just because he had a large tattoo in Hebrew on his arm – has converted to Kabbalah (Another Religion that originated from Judaism).

His Hebrew tattoos are from the Old Testament’s Song of Songs and say in Hebrew: “I am for my beloved, and my beloved is for me, who grazes sheep in rose-like pastures.”  

David Beckham Bio – Health Disorder:

Beckham suffers from an ailment which is called obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This, he says, makes him “have everything in a straight line, or everything has to be in pairs.” Victoria Beckham claims,

“If you open our fridge, it’s all coordinated down either side. We’ve got three fridges – food in one, salad in another and drinks in the third.

In the drinks one, everything is symmetrical. If there are three cans, he’ll throw one away because it has to be an even number.”

David Beckham Affairs and Accusations:

The first happened in August 2002. David Beckham dated Selena Laurie. Laurie claimed they had an extramarital affair with her on 7 August 2002 in Denmark.

In April 2004, the British tabloid News of the World carried claims by Beckham’s former personal assistant, Rebecca Loos.

When Beckham joined Real Madrid in 2003, he moved to Spain and away from his wife, Victoria Beckham. Loos worked for Beckham’s management team and was helping with his transition.

Not long after the move, Loos had an alleged extramarital affair with David. A week later, the Malaysian-born Australian model Sarah Marbeck claimed that Beckham also had an extramarital affair with her on two occasions.

Beckham dismissed both accusations as “ludicrous”.

In September 2010, Beckham announced that he was making a court application against prostitute Irma Nici and several others over claims in the magazine ‘In Touch’ that he had an extramarital affair with her.

Although the magazine later accepted that the allegations against Beckham were untrue, his court application was dismissed under US freedom of speech laws.

David and Victoria Beckham vowed to donate any payout that they receive from Irma Nici to their children’s charity.

David Beckham Biography – Career in Summary:

Beckham began playing for Manchester United, England’s legendary soccer team, at age 18 and was a starter by age 20.

On the field, Beckham didn’t miss a beat. In 1999, he led Manchester United to the Premier League title, the FA Cup championship, and the Champions League title.

Thanks to a last-minute free-kick against Greece in 2001, England qualified for the 2002 World Cup. That same year, Beckham signed a three-year $22 million contract to remain with Manchester United.

But Beckham’s time with United proved to be shorter than anyone thought. In 2003, he was acquired by Real Madrid in a stunner of a deal that brought to light Beckham’s growing rift with Manchester’s manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Spanish soccer fans were thrilled to have their archrival join their team. Americans, meanwhile, were just getting to know him with the release of the movie – Bend It Like Beckham.

This is a delightful movie that tells the story of a young girl who bucks her family’s traditional ways and falls in love with English soccer.

David Beckham Bio – Why He Left United:

Truth be told, David Beckham was shipped out of Manchester because the midfielder “thought he was bigger than Alex Ferguson”.

As far as the dramatic breakdown in their relationship was concerned, Alex claimed the “death knell” was sounded after David Beckham directly challenged his authority.

In 2003, Ferguson was involved in a dressing room argument with United player David Beckham. He accused Beckham of failing to track back on an Arsenal goal at Old Trafford.

Ferguson allegedly stoned a football boot in frustration, which hit the player in the face and caused an injury to Beckham.

David Beckham, however, did something. He allowed the wound to be photographed and interviewed the following day.

After observing his deeds, Ferguson made the decision to sell him. He believed that Beckham felt he had become bigger than him and the club.

Ferguson once wrote that Beckham had his face injury turn him into a celebrity. According to him ‘He had the conscious decision to pursue fame away from the field after the injury’.

He also writes that there was no “footballing reason” for Beckham to go to Los Angeles. ‘He squandered the chance to become of United’s most enduring legends.’ says Ferguson.

David Beckham Bio – Appearance in Films:

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 lookalike Andy Harmer instead.

Beckham makes a cameo appearance with Zinedine Zidane and Raúl, in the 2005 film Goal!. Harmer also doubled for him in the party scene.

Beckham himself appears in the sequel ‘Goal II: Living the Dream’ in a larger role, when the film’s lead character gets transferred to Real Madrid.

This time, the story centres on the Real Madrid team, and besides Beckham, other real-life Real Madrid players also appear on and off the pitch, alongside the fictional characters.

Through the use of stock footage from the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Beckham appeared in Goal III: Taking on the World, which was released straight to DVD on 15 June 2009.

Despite moving to Los Angeles, California, Beckham has expressed no personal interest in the pursuit of acting roles, saying he is too “stiff”. 

However, due to his friendship with Guy Ritchie, he has made two cameo appearances in Ritchie’s films: as a projectionist in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (based on the 1964 MGM television series of the same name), and as Trigger in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.

Coming to America:

America’s fascination with Beckham and his decade of dominance culminated in 2007 when the soccer great moved across the Atlantic to sign a reported five-year, $250 million deal with the L.A. Galaxy.

The relocation was as much about giving Victoria Beckham’s career a boost (she helped drive the decision to move to the States) as it was to give America’s Major League Soccer a shot in the arm.

Within 48 hours of the signing, the Galaxy sold more than 5,000 season tickets.

A Rocky America:

Beckham’s career since moving to the United States, however, was a rocky one.

He was beset by injuries, spraining a knee ligament his first season in L.A., and later missed out on a chance to play in the 2010 World Cup because of an Achilles tendon injury.

The Diversification:

In 2012, Beckham furthered his success by venturing into a new commercial endeavour, starting an underwear line for the company H&M.

As part of Beckham’s marketing campaign with H&M, six 10-foot statues of the soccer star in his underwear were installed in New York City; others were installed in Los Angeles and San Francisco. He later moved to PSG to continue his career.

David Beckham Bio – Emotional Retirement:

On May 16, 2013—just days after winning a title with French club Paris Saint-Germain—the 38-year-old Beckham announced that he would be retiring at the end of the 2013 season, ending his 21-year soccer career.

In a statement he said with tears in his eyes: “I’m thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level.

 He added: “If you had told me as a young boy, I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club, Manchester United.

More so, proudly captained and played for my country over one hundred times and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy. I’m fortunate to have realised those dreams.”

His retirement brings an end to a career quite unlike any other. The 38-year-old became the first English man to win league titles in the 4 countries.

That’s Manchester United (England), Real Madrid (Spain), LA Galaxy (US) and PSG (France). His time at United was the most memorable, where he won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League.

David Beckham Biography – Doing Big Things After Retirement:

As we all know, the former England captain, David Beckham, retired from professional soccer in 2013, but what you might not know is that his retirement was only to take on a bigger project.

At a press conference on February 5, 2014, Beckham announced his plans for a new MLS team in Miami and his hopes of it being done in no distant time.

Perhaps the story “Once a soccer player, always a soccer player”? definitely fits David Beckham’s story perfectly. Although I currently retired, I am not tired. He has proved to everyone that his soccer career didn’t end at PSG.

Beckham has decided to take a step back from playing at a football club to owning one. He surely has the best hands doing the job for him.

It’s been rumoured that the name of his team will be “Miami Beckham United” and that it will be affiliated with the University of Miami.

Regardless of the name or location, the point is that Beckham is doing his thing and is doing it BIG. The once amazing soccer player created his own soccer team and built a brand new stadium for it. YOU GO BECKS!

At the time of writing this Bio, he is the proud owner of Inter Miami, a soccer club that has boasted of top footballers. The likes of Leonardo Campana, Gonzalo Higuaín, Blaise Matuidi etc.

Heart Broken by his Son’s decision not to play football:

Beckham told ABC News that he would love for his children to play football professionally when they grow up, but only if it made them happy.

“One of my boys turned around to me the other day and said, ‘Daddy, you know, I’m not sure I want to play football all the time…’ It broke my heart a little bit,” Beckham said.

He said that his son told him: “Every time that I step onto the field, I know people are saying, ‘This is David Beckham’s son’, and if I’m not as good as you, then it’s not good enough.”

“He said, ‘Okay, stop right there… You play because you want to play,’

Aside from David Beckham’s bio, we have other related childhood biography stories for your reading pleasure. The Life Histories of Michel Platini, Ivan Perisic and Sheikh Mansour will interest you.

Hi there! I am Hale Hendrix, a passionate football enthusiast and writer dedicated to uncovering the untold stories of footballers' childhood and biography. With a deep love for the beautiful game, I have spent countless hours researching and interviewing players to bring to light the lesser-known details of their lives.

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