John Hinderliter - Who Is David Beckham?

Five-year-old David Beckham was as excited as if it were Christmas morning! It was September 6, 1980, and his dad, Ted, was taking him to watch his first professional soccer game. They were going to see Manchester Unitedone of the most popular sports teams in the world. United was playing Tottenham Hotspur. The two were teams in the English Premier Leaguethe top professional soccer league in England. David and his dad drove to Tottenhams stadium, about twenty-five minutes from their home in Chingford. David wore his favorite red United jersey. When they entered the giant stadium, David gripped his dads hand tightly. They were both so excited for the game, they had arrived very early. They were two of the first fans there.

Their seats were high above the field, far from the action, but David didnt care. He loved every minute of the game. He loved the loud cheering of the fans, and the way the soccer ball moved quickly from player to player. The game ended in a 00 tie. David didnt get to see any goals, but he had the time of his young life.

Id never seen him more thrilled, Ted said about his son. To see his face light up had been worth the price of the tickets alone.

As they left the game, Ted carried his son down the steep stadium stairs. David turned to his father and said, Dad, one day I am going to play for Manchester United. Ted laughed and responded, Ill come and watch you.

When David said this, his dad didnt really believe him. After all, only the very best players play professional soccerand only the best of the best play for Manchester United. But David meant it. And from that day on, he worked as hard as he could to make it happen. Growing up, he spent almost every hour he could practicing soccer. Every day, every year, he got better and better.

David Beckham became one of the best and most famous soccer players ever. He played eleven seasons for Manchester United, four seasons for Real Madrid in Spain, six seasons for the Los Angeles Galaxy in California, and one season for Paris Saint-Germain in France. He also played for fourteen years on Englands national team.

David became a multimillionaire, married a pop star, and became famous for his cool clothes, good looks, and hip hairstyles. But before any of these things happened, David was just a little kid who held his dads hand during the matches. He loved soccer more than anything else in the world.

CHAPTER 1

Born to Play Soccer

David Robert Joseph Beckham was born on May 2, 1975, in northeast London, England. His mother, Sandra Georgina, was a hairdresser, and his father, David Edward Alan Beckhamknown as Tedinstalled new kitchens. David was a middle child. He had an older sister named Lynne Georgina.

Shortly after David was born, his family moved to Chingford, a suburb ten miles from London. Chingford had plenty of grassy parks and open space for kids to play sports, especially soccer.

Soccer is called football in most parts of the world, including England. English people are especially obsessed with soccer. They love to play it, watch it, and talk about it any chance they get. Davids father, and soon David, loved soccer, too.

When David learned to walk, his father brought him to a local park almost daily for a kickabout, or to kick the soccer ball around. Ted also bought his son a soccer uniform and a new ball for Christmas every year. As David got older, Ted taught his son all the skills he needed to play the game.

We would work on passing, crossing, and shooting, for hours and hours, David said.

The World Loves Soccer!

Soccer is the worlds most popular sport. There are more than 265 million people around the world who play the game and 3.5 billion people who call themselves soccer or football fans. The sport was first played in England, and a match was first described in a book written in 1174. English explorers spread the sport to other parts of the world.

Perhaps one of the reasons soccer is so popular is because it is inexpensive to play: All you need is a ball and some goal markers to kick the ball through.

David was a small boy, but he was a natural athlete. He was way better at soccer than any other child his age, so he played against older kids instead. Sometimes David even practiced with a local team on which his dad played. The men on the team were three times as tall, three times as heavy, and three times as old as David. When the bigger guys knocked him down, Davids dad told him, Get up and get on with it.

By the time he was seven, David had a baby sister named Joanne Louise. His days were filled with soccer. If he wasnt playing in the park or practicing with his dads team, he was playing on his own teams. His bedroom walls were covered with posters of famous soccer stars, especially players on Manchester United, his favorite team.