On March 26 David Beckham joined the elite group of English footballers who have a century of caps from playing a hundred games for their national team. Beckham had looked certain to reach the milestone quickly when he joined Real Madrid in 2003 as England captain and elevated his megastar status even further. However, things have not gone so smoothly for him in the last couple of years and the dream seemed to be slipping away.
Rising star
David Robert Joseph Beckham was born on May 2nd, 1975 in Leytonstone, in East London into a family of Manchester United supporters. Naturally, he grew up dreaming of playing for the Red Devils, attending one of Bobby Charlton’s soccer schools in Manchester and being a mascot for a United match.
He signed for Manchester United as a schoolboy on his fourteenth birthday and then progressed through the ranks, winning the F.A. Youth Cup in 1992 and making his debut for the first team as a substitute in a League Cup match in the same year. He then signed a professional contract and was in the reserve team that were champions in 1994. He then went on loan to neighbours, Preston North End, during 1994-95 and played five times, scoring twice. He also became part of England’s under-21 team, making his debut in 1994 and playing nine times in all for the Young Lions.
He then made his English Premier League, (EPL), debut for United in April 1995 and quickly became a regular as the club won the double of the F.A. Cup and the EPL title in 1996. He then hit the headlines in August 2006 by scoring from the halfway line against Wimbledon. Beckham also made his England debut in September 1996 and soon also became a regular part of the national team, playing in all of the qualifying matches for the 1998 World Cup. In 1996-97 he was voted as the P.F.A. Young Player of the Year by his peers.
Highs and Lows
Beckham then experienced the highs and lows of superstardom, being dropped for the first two matches of the 1998 World Cup finals then scoring his first goal for England against Colombia and then getting a red card against Argentina as he became the scapegoat for England’s elimination despite being named in the all-star team for the tournament. Supporters and the media became divided in their opinion of him but he continued to play and to create goals for the national team as he was equally praised and derided.
In 1999 he was instrumental in United’s successful treble campaign, winning the F.A. Cup, the EPL title and the Champions League and was voted UEFA Club Player of the Year and runner-up in the European Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. In July 1999 he married Spice Girl, Victoria Adams in a blaze of publicity. He became England captain in November 2000 and became the golden boy again, helping the team to a glorious 5-1 victory over Germany in Munich and then scoring the goal against Greece in October 2001 in the final minutes of the game that put England into the finals of the 2002 World Cup. He was then voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year and runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year for 2001.
Moving On
In 2003 he left Manchester United after playing 265 EPL matches, scoring 61 goals plus 81 Champions League games and 15 goals. In eleven years at the club he won six EPL titles, two F.A. Cups and a Champions League title. His new club was the legendary Real Madrid but success would initially elude him and the club. Also in 2003, Beckham was awarded an OBE, (The Order of the British Empire).
In January 2005 he became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador but in October of the same year he became the first England captain to be sent off and the first England player to be sent off twice when he received a red card against Austria. In the 2006 World Cup finals he scored to become the first England player to score in three finals tournaments. However, after England was eliminated in the quarter-finals he stepped down as captain after 58 games in the role. At the time he had 94 caps and was closing in on a century but was sensationally dropped from the squad by new national coach, Steve McClaren.
Beckham returned to the national team in May 2007, helped Real Madrid to win the Spanish league title in June then joined Los Angeles Galaxy in July on an extremely lucrative five-year contract. He then became the first footballer to play for England while with a non-European club and earned his 99th cap in November. And now, finally, Beckham is England’s new centurion.
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Beckham(retrieved January 30, 2008)
http://www.davidbeckham.com/(retrieved January 30, 2008)
http://www.beckham-magazine.com/(retrieved January 30, 2008)
http://www.david-beckham.us/(retrieved January 30, 2008)
http://www.thefa.com/England/SeniorTeam/Players/Postings/2004/03/
David+Beckham+Real+Madrid.htm (retrieved January 30, 2008)
Understanding the story
1. Who’s the story about?
2. What did he do on March 26?
3. How many clubs has he played for?
4. Name them.
5. How old is he?
Find the information
1. How many times has Beckham captained England?
2. What individual football awards has he won?
3. What other awards has he received?
4. What team trophies has he won?
5. What things was he the first England player to do?
When?
1. When did he get married?
2. When did he make his Manchester United debut?
3. When did he make his EPL debut?
4. When did he make his England debut?
5. When did he become England captain?
Vocabulary
Match the words and phrases in bold in the story with these meanings
1. to become famous by being reported in the news
2. someone who is blamed for something that is not their fault
3. a lot of attention and excitement from the media
4. to not manage to achieve something
5. an event or achievement that is an important stage in a process
6. to leave an official position or job and be replaced by someone
7. something that is used to bring good luck or as a symbol of a team
8. people in the same social or professional group
9. more important or higher in status
10. involved in an important way in making something happen
11. criticized by someone for being stupid, unimportant or useless
12. a successful man that a lot of people like and admire
What do you think?
Should David Beckham play for England in the qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup?
Understanding the story
1. David Beckham
2. Played his 100th match for England
3. Four
4. Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid and Los Angeles Galaxy
5. 32
Find the information
1. 58
2. 1996-97 PFA Young Player of the Year and 1999 UEFA Club Player of the Year
3. 2001 BBC Sports Personality of the Year and the OBE in 2003
4. 6 EPL titles, 2 FA Cups, 1 Champions League, I Spanish League, 1 FA Youth Cup and I reserve league title
5. First player to score in three World Cup finals tournaments, first player to be sent off twice, first captain to be sent off and first player from a non-European club
When?
1. July 1999
2. 1992
3. April 1995
4. September 1996
5. November 2000
Vocabulary
1. hit the headlines
2. scapegoat
3. a blaze of publicity
4. elude
5. milestone
6. stepped down
7. mascot
8. peers
9. elevated
10. instrumental
11. derided
12. golden boy
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