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allegedly chose not to release it after being disappointed with the results.[34][35] Instead of pop, Beckham wanted a more urban sound, working with urban producer Damon Dash for a more RnB and hip hop influence.[27][28] When he was first asked why he was working with Beckham he stated "Because I see how much she gets photographed over here."[2] A Dash-produced track "It's That Simple" featuring M.O.P. premiered on radio stations in July 2003,[28] generating mixed reviews.[28]

Beckham's first single with Telstar, "Let Your Head Go / This Groove",[28] was released in the UK on 29 December 2003, following heavy promotion and many TV appearances across the Christmas period with the video being directed by Andy Hylton. The single charted at Number 3 in the UK.[28] This double A-side lifted "Let Your Head Go" from Beckham's earlier pop-inspired work with "This Groove" one of her Hip-Hop/R'n'B songs and remains Beckham's last single release to date. She is currently the only Spice Girl never to have had a UK solo number one, though she is also the only Spice Girl to have all her single/album releases go Top 10.[citation needed] Outside of the UK, Damon Dash had plans for Beckham in the US, including a potential release of "Let Your Head Go / This Groove" under the name of "Posh Spice Victoria Beckham". The release was proposed for sometime between March to May 2004, but never eventuated.[36]

With the UK media describing her solo music career a failure, combined with a rumoured fall-out between Dash and Fuller, her hip hop album, Come Together, was not released.[1][37] Amidst the collapse of Telstar, remaining plans for Beckham's music career were cancelled.[38][39]

Beckham is the only Spice Girl to have all of her singles and albums chart in the Top 10 of the UK charts, but she also has released fewer albums (1) and singles (4).[citation needed]

[edit] Books
Beckham's autobiography, entitled Learning to Fly, was released on 13 September 2001.[40] The title was taken from a line in a song from the musical Fame, which Beckham had enjoyed as a child. The verse that inspired the title is: "I'm gonna live forever, I'm gonna learn how to fly".[41] The book documents her childhood, time during the Spice Girls, her marriage and family life, as well as her career at the time.[42] Learning to Fly became the third best-selling non-fiction title of 2001 and the total UK sales stand at more than 500,000 copies.[43] When the book was first released, it went to Number 1 in the book charts after four weeks of release, relegating Robbie Williams' book to second place.[25] A high-profile guest appearance on Parkinson, watched by nine million people, helped to promote the book.[25] Before the publishing of the book, Hello!, The Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday joined to buy the rights to preview and serialise the book before its release. The figure paid was thought to be near £1 million.[10]

Beckham was quoted by a Spanish journalist in 2005 as saying "I've never read a book in my life".[44] She later claimed this was a mistranslation from the original Spanish in which the interview was printed, saying she actually stated that she never had time to finish reading a book because she was always too busy looking after her children.[45]

Beckham's second book, a fashion advice guide, entitled That Extra Half an Inch: Hair, Heels and Everything In Between, was published on 27 October 2006.[46] That Extra Half an Inch: Hair, Heels and Everything In Between includes tips from Beckham on fashion, style and beauty,[46] and also contains photography by Mario Testino, Annie Leibovitz and Steven Meisel. The book became another bestseller,[47] and has sold 400,000 copies in Britain alone since it was published in hardcover.[48] The rights have since been sold to the United States, the Netherlands, Japan, Portugal, Lithuania, Russia, and most recently China.[48]

[edit] Television
Beckham has shot five official documentaries. The first, dated 11 January 2000, was called Victoria's Secrets, a programme only shown in the UK on Channel 4. It involved Beckham being followed by cameras while also discussing and interviewing other British celebrities, such as Elton John.[49] The second, Being Victoria Beckham, was broadcast in March 2002 and saw Beckham discussing her career as a solo artist with the release of her first album, and also showed her at various photo shoots and recording sessions. The documentary attracted a strong audience of 8.83 million,[50] coming top in its timeslot.[51] One critic described her as "so clearly level-headed, happy with her not inconsiderable lot and seemingly unfazed by the madly intrusive nature of her monumentally ridiculous fame".[52] The third, The Real Beckhams, aired on 24 December 2003 on ITV1 and focused on the Beckhams' move to Madrid from London after David Beckham was signed to Real Madrid. It also featured Victoria Beckham re-launching her solo career and showed her mocking the tabloid stories she reads in the paper every day. The special received an audience of 6.10 million viewers[53] and was later released on DVD on 2 February 2004.[54]

The fourth was entitled Full Length & Fabulous: The Beckhams' 2006 World Cup Party, and followed Victoria and David Beckham organising and making preparations to host a 2006 World Cup Party at a marquee in the grounds of their mansion in Hertfordshire, which aimed to raise money for their charity.[55] Two tickets to attend the ball were auctioned on-line for charity, and sold for £103,000.[56] The documentary aired on 28 May 2006 and showed the event itself, where the menu was designed especially by friend and chef Gordon Ramsay and the charity auction was hosted by Graham Norton.[57] Ramsay catered for 600 guests, with the aid of 40 chefs and 100 waiting staff.[57] The ITV documentary attracted an average of 7.56 million viewers.[58]

To document Victoria Beckham's preparations for her family's move to the US, she signed a deal with NBC for six episodes of a half-hour unscripted reality TV series. Despite original plans for six episodes, the show was cut to a one hour special only as there "just wasn't enough (material) for a series."[59] The show, called Victoria Beckham: Coming to America, aired on 16 July 2007 in the US and Canada. It was heavily scrutinised by the American media and critics, with The New York Post describing it as "an orgy of self-indulgence" and also describing Beckham as "vapid and condescending".[59] The programme was the third-most-watched programme in its time-slot and received viewing figures of 4.9 million in the US, beaten by a repeat of Wife Swap and two sitcoms.[60] The programme aired in Britain on 17 July 2007 on ITV with 3.84 million viewers tuning in.[61] The programme was produced by Simon Fuller who managed her and the Spice Girls on their come-back tour.[62]

In July 2007, it was announced that Beckham would shortly begin filming a cameo appearance as herself in an episode of the second season of ABC's TV series Ugly Betty.[63] The episode, "A Nice Day for a Posh Wedding", aired on 9 November 2007 in the United States and on 23 November in the United Kingdom.[64] Beckham's first line was "This is major", said when bursting through a curtain at a dress fitting for a wedding, in which she was the bridesmaid.[64] Beckham has said she only agreed to the part because of her interest in fashion, and not for the acting opportunity.[64] Despite her forays into television, Beckham has denied plans to embark upon a Hollywood movie career.[65]

In February 2008, it was revealed that Beckham would be the guest judge for the finale of fourth season of Project Runway, which aired on 5 March 2008 in the US.[66]

[edit] Fashion
Beckham has become better recognised as an international style icon, rather than a music artist.[11][67] Beckham made a guest appearance on the catwalk for Maria Grachvogel in 2000, marking her debut as a model at London Fashion Week.[68] Beckham also acted as a British ambassador for Dolce and Gabbana[69] and was briefly the face of Rocawear in 2003.[70]

Beckham designed a limited-edition fashion line for Rock & Republic called VB Rocks in 2004, consisting mainly of jeans for the high end of the market, retailing at approximately $300 in the US.[71] She had previously "hit it off instantly" with Rock & Republic designer, Michael Ball, in Los Angeles. He commented "She not only understands fashion and trends but has been a trend-setter and fashion icon for years."[72]

On 16 January 2006, Beckham walked the runway for Roberto Cavalli at Milan Fashion Week, and was for a period exclusively dressed by him for red-carpet and social events.[73] For the March 2006 issue of Harper's Bazaar, Beckham acted as fashion editor when she styled her close friend, Katie Holmes, for a fashion shoot.[74] In July 2006, Beckham released a line of sunglasses, called dvb Eyewear.[75][76] She has admitted to a personal love of sunglasses, saying "I'm quite obsessed with sunglasses. I collect vintage Guccis and Carreras — they can make virtually any outfit look cool."[9] After Beckham's departure from Rock & Republic, in September 2006, she furthered her fashion ventures by launching her own denim label, of which she acts as creative director. The new line of Beckham's jeans collection is called dvb Style.[48][71] In the same month, Intimately Beckham, a his-and-her fragrance line, was launched at a lavish press conference in Venice.[75][76] Beckham then launched her new official website, dvbstyle.com, which promotes her fashion work.[77][78] She also produced a range of handbags and jewellery in association with the Japanese store, Samantha Thavasa.[75][76]

Career
[edit] Spice Girls

Victoria Beckham performing in 2007 with the Spice GirlsIn 1994, Beckham joined the all-female group, the Spice Girls. In the recordings before her marriage, she is credited with her maiden name as Victoria Adams. The group's first single was called "Touch", and she worked with Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, Melanie Brown and Melanie Chisholm. Beckham had previously answered an advertisement in The Stage in March 1993 which required girls who were "street smart, extrovert, ambitious and able to sing and dance".[5]

In 1996, the group's first single, "Wannabe", went to Number 1 in the UK and US, and another 29 countries. It was followed by nine further Number 1 singles from their albums Spice, Spiceworld and Forever.[2] Each member of the group received a nickname from the media. Beckham was named "Posh Spice" due to her refined attitude, form-fitting designer outfits, such as little black dresses, and her love of high-heeled footwear.[citation needed] The group was one of the most successful pop acts of the 1990s, selling over fifty-five million records worldwide.[11] After the release of their third album, Forever (UK number 2), which was far less successful than their previous two albums, the Spice Girls stopped recording, leading Beckham to try and build a solo career.[citation needed]

In 2007, the Spice Girls reformed and announced plans to embark upon a reunion tour,[11] from which they were said to have earned £10 million each (approximately $20 million).[12] Victoria had previously stated that she and her former Spice colleagues were enjoying their solo careers in various fields, saying "We're all still doing our own thing."[13] Their "Greatest Hits" album was released in early November, 2007 and the tour began on 2 December 2007. At its advent, Beckham said "I wanted my children to see that Mummy was a pop star. It was the last opportunity for them to stand in a crowd full of people screaming for the Spice Girls."[14] When Beckham had her hair coloured brown for the tour, she stated that her sons immediately reacted by saying "Oh my goodness, it's Posh Spice. She's back."[15] During one Spice Girls performance at London's The O2 Arena, her three sons accompanied her on stage during "Mama", along with the other Spice Girls' children.[16] She was the only member of the group not to sing a solo song on the tour, instead posing in the style of a fashion show on a makeshift catwalk, whereas the others each performed a number from their solo careers.[17] One critic wrote "This time around Posh gets the biggest cheer when she sings her solo lines. She knows it too – and it seems to give her more and more confidence as the show goes on."[18]

Filmmaker Bob Smeaton directed an official film of the tour entitled Spice Girls: Giving You Everything, which was first aired on Fox8 in Australia. It later aired in the UK on 31 December 2007 on BBC One.[19]

As well as their sell-out tour, the Spice Girls were contracted to appear in Tesco advertisements, for which they were paid £1 million each.[20]

[edit] Solo career
On 14 August 2000, Beckham released her first solo single, "Out of Your Mind" in collaboration with Dane Bowers and Truesteppers.[5] The week of release coincided with the release of "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" by Spiller featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor, resulting in a chart battle dubbed 'Posh vs. Posher' by the tabloids.[21] Following a huge publicity campaign, "Out Of Your Mind" was outsold by Ellis-Bextor, and debuted at Number 2 in the UK Singles Chart.[22] Before the single's release, on 8 July 2000, Beckham made her public solo debut at London's Hyde Park at a concert to raise money for the Prince's Trust charity. She sang "Out of Your Mind" to a 100,000-strong audience.[23]

Beckham then signed a recording contract with her group label Virgin Records.[2] Her next single as a solo artist, "Not Such An Innocent Girl", was released on 17 September 2001.[1] Again, she faced competition in another hugely hyped chart battle, this time with Kylie Minogue's single "Can't Get You Out Of My Head".[24] Despite a huge promotional campaign, Beckham was outsold eight to one, and her single debuted at number 6.[25] Beckham's eponymous debut album, which was released on 1 October 2001, reached Number 10 in the UK album chart[26] The album cost a reputed £5 million to produce and it sold a modest 50,000 copies.[27]

The second and final single to be released from the album was "A Mind of Its Own" on 11 February 2002. The single reached number 6 in the UK[28] and sold 56,500 copies.[29] Rumours soon spread that Beckham was to be dropped by her label for not charting in the Top Three. These were strongly refuted at the time.[30] Beckham commented "You know what newspapers are like, they just like to put all the negative stuff in, but as far as I'm concerned and the record company is concerned it is all great."[30]

A third single, "I Wish", was promoted but never materialised. The single version was a remix featuring Robbie Craig, and was performed on TV on Friday Night's All Wright.[31] Following the announcement of Beckham's second pregnancy, the single was shelved. Beckham and Virgin Records went their separate ways;[32][33] a statement from her publicist read: "No-one has been dropped. The Virgin deal has come to a natural end and both parties have decided not to continue."[32]

Victoria Beckham
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham in May 2010
Background information
Birth name Victoria Caroline Adams
Also known as Posh
Born 17 April 1974 (1974-04-17) (age 36)
Harlow, Essex, England
Origin Goffs Oak, Hertfordshire, England
Genres Pop, R&B
Occupations Singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, fashion designer, businesswoman
Years active 1994–present
Labels Virgin (1996–present)
19/Telstar (2002–04)
Associated acts Spice Girls
Website Official website

Victoria Caroline Beckham (née Adams; born 17 April 1974)[1][2] is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, fashion designer and businesswoman.

During her rise to fame with the late 1990s girl pop group the Spice Girls, Beckham was dubbed Posh Spice, a nickname first coined by the British pop music magazine, Top of the Pops in the July 1996 issue.[3] Since the Spice Girls pursued separate careers, she has had a solo pop music career, scoring four UK Top 10 singles. Her first single to be released, "Out of Your Mind", reached Number 2 in the UK Singles Chart and is her highest chart entry to date. During her solo career, she has been signed to Virgin Records and Telstar Records.

Beckham has found more success as an internationally recognised and photographed style icon. Her career in fashion includes designing a line of jeans for Rock & Republic and later designing her own denim brand, dVb Style. Beckham has brought out her own range of sunglasses and fragrance, entitled Intimately Beckham, which has been released in the UK and the US. In association with the Japanese store Samantha Thavasa and Shiatzy Chen, she has produced a range of handbags and jewellery. In addition, Beckham has released two best-selling books; one her autobiography, the other a fashion guide.

In her television ventures, Beckham has participated in five official documentaries and reality shows about her, some of which include Being Victoria Beckham and The Real Beckhams. Her last documentary was Victoria Beckham: Coming to America, which documented her move to the US with her family in 2007. She has since made a cameo appearance in an episode of American TV series Ugly Betty, and been a guest judge on Project Runway, Germany's Next Topmodel, and American Idol.

She is the wife of English footballer David Beckham and they have three sons: Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz. As of 2009, the couple's joint wealth is estimated at £125 million.[4]

Contents [hide]
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 Spice Girls
2.2 Solo career
2.3 Books
2.4 Television
2.5 Fashion
3 Personal life
4 Filmography
5 Discography
5.1 Studio albums
5.2 Singles
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Early life
Beckham was born to Jacqueline and Anthony Adams at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex and raised in Goffs Oak, Hertfordshire.[5] Anthony was an electronics engineer,[5] and the success of the family business allowed for a comfortable upbringing for Victoria and her siblings,[1] Louise and Christian.[6]

Beckham attended St. Mary's High School in Cheshunt. She was embarrassed by her family's wealth and often begged her father not to drop her off outside the school in their Rolls Royce.[7] Beckham said that during her schooling days, she was a victim of bullying, having been made to feel like an outsider. She commented: "Children were literally picking things up out of the puddles and throwing them at me. And I just stood there, on my own. No one was with me. I didn't have any friends."[8]

She was inspired by watching the musical Fame, and subsequently decided that she would become famous.[9] It was then that her parents enrolled her at Jason Theatre School.[1] At the age of 17, Beckham attended Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom, Surrey and studied dance and modelling.[1][2] She was also in a band called Persuasion

180.^ Bramwell, Tom (12 September 2002). "Go!Go! Beckham! Adventure On Soccer Island Review". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_gogobeckham_gba . Retrieved 8 June 2009.
181.^ Varanini, Giancarlo (14 August 2002). "David Beckham Soccer Review". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/x...beckhamsoccer/review.html . Retrieved 8 June 2010.
182.^ "EA SPORTS Active signs David Beckham as brand ambassador". Inside World Soccer. 18 August 2010. http://www.insideworldsoc...gns-david-beckham-as.html . Retrieved 4 September 2010.
183.^ "Beckham flies to Afghanistan to boost British troops’ morale"
184.^ "Beckham visits British troops in Afghanistan"
185.^ "David Beckham hails 'amazing' troops on visit to Afghanistan"
186.^ "Beckham targetted by Taliban in Afghanistan?"
187.^ "Taliban targeted Beckham in Afghanistan! "
188.^ Radley, Scott (26 January 2007). "To Rebecca, with love". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/175193 . Retrieved 2 February 2007.
189.^ "David Beckham: Fight Malaria by Donating a $10 Bed Net". Youtube.com. 25 April 2007. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va-PGV9RM4c . Retrieved 4 May 2009.
190.^ "Video: Juan Pablo Angel, David Beckham to Assist MLS W.O.R.K.S.". paddocktalk.com. 18 August 2007. http://www.paddocktalk.co...d&order=0&thold=0 . Retrieved 21 August 2007.
191.^ Bend It Like Beckham at the Internet Movie Database
192.^ "beckhamlookalike.com". Beckhamlookalike.com. http://www.beckhamlookalike.com/clients.htm . Retrieved 13 November 2008.
193.^ Goal! 2: Living the Dream... at the Internet Movie Database
194.^ "David Beckham". Imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0065743/ . Retrieved 13 November 2008.
195.^ "David Beckham's Hollywood snub". askmen.com. 2 March 2007. http://www.askmen.com/gos...ckham-hollywood-snub.html . Retrieved 15 August 2007.
196.^ "Beckham stands down". 2 July 2006 accessdate=14 July 2007. http://www.thefa.com/Worl.../06/BeckhamStandsDown.htm .
197.^ "England 1–0 Ecuador", BBC Sport, 25 June 2006, Retrieved 25 June 2006
198.^ a b c Todd, Ben (12 January 2010). "Cross and Becks: David gets a Jesus tattoo to add to his multi-faith collection". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.u...id-gets-Jesus-tattoo.html .
199.^ a b "David Beckham's neck tattoo". http://www.davidbeckhamne.../2007/08/neck-tattoo.html .
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: David Beckham

David Beckham FIFA competition record
The Official David Beckham Website
The David Beckham Academy
MLS player profile
Milan profile

Loan to Milan

Beckham playing for MilanIn 2008, Beckham's success in the England national team under Fabio Capello led to speculation that he might return to Europe in order to retain match fitness for the World Cup qualifying matches in 2009. On 30 October 2008, Milan announced that Beckham was to join them on loan from 7 January 2009.[93] Despite this and other speculation, Beckham made it clear that the move in no way signalled his intent to leave MLS and announced his intent to return to the Galaxy in time for the start of the 2009 season in March.[94] Many at Milan both within and outside of the club expressed serious reservations about the transfer, with it considered by some players no more than a marketing move.[95] At Milan, he chose the number 32 shirt previously worn by Christian Vieri, as both the number 7 and 23 shirts were already used by Alexandre Pato and club captain Massimo Ambrosini, respectively. After his physical, Beckham was reportedly told by a club doctor that he believed he can continue playing football for another five years, when he will be 38.[96]

Beckham made his Serie A debut for Milan against Roma on 11 January 2009 and played 89 minutes of the 2–2 draw.[97] He scored his first goal in Serie A for Milan in a 4–1 victory over Bologna on 25 January, his third appearance for the club.[98] Though Beckham was expected to return to L.A. in March, after impressing at the Italian club, scoring two goals in his first four matches and assisting on several more, rumours began to swirl that Beckham would stay in Milan, with the Italian club reportedly offering to pay a multi-million dollar fee for the English legend. The rumours were confirmed on 4 February, when Beckham stated that he was seeking a permanent transfer to Milan, in a bid to sustain his England career through the 2010 World Cup. However, Milan failed to match Galaxy's valuation of Beckham, in the US$10–15 million range.[99]

However, negotiations continued during a month of speculation.[100] On 2 March, the Los Angeles Times reported that Beckham's loan had been extended through mid-July.[101] This was later confirmed by Beckham, revealing what was described as a unique "timeshare" deal, in which Beckham would play with L.A. from mid-July till the end of the 2009 MLS season.[102]

Return to Galaxy
After his return from Milan, many LA fans showed dislike and anger towards him as he missed the first half of the season and several held up signs saying "Go home fraud", and "Part time player".[103] However, the Galaxy had a much more successful season than in previous years, rising from third to first in the Western Conference during Beckham's time with them. He remained a key part of the squad which saw Galaxy win the 2009 Western Conference final after a 2–0 overtime victory over the Houston Dynamo.[104] In the final on 22 November 2009, the Galaxy lost to Real Salt Lake by 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw. Beckham also scored in the shootout.[105]

The day after the made-for-TV debut was reserved for the welcoming party for the Beckhams at LA's Museum of Contemporary Art, formally billed as being hosted by Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith though in actuality a CAA-organized event. Attended by many Hollywood A-listers, the lavish bash was big news in the US celebrity tabloid media, including daily entertainment TV magazines such as Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood.[86]

Back on the soccer front, Beckham missed the next four Galaxy matches - three in the North American SuperLiga and an MLS game away at Toronto FC though he still made the trip with his teammates, sitting on the bench in street clothes. It was in Toronto on 5 August that the team got its first taste of what life would be like on the road with Beckham on the roster. Due to security concerns, it was the first time the team flew on a charter for a road match, rather than flying commercial (MLS normally forbids charter flights for away matches, claiming they provide competitive advantage, but in this case they made an exception due to the frenzy created around Beckham and resulting security issues). Also, instead of the usual MLS-mandated modest hotels, LA Galaxy stayed at the five-star Le Méridien King Edward in downtown Toronto (an expense paid for by the local Toronto promoter), while the glitz and glamour continued with the velvet rope, red carpet party at the Ultra Supper Club with Beckham as the centerpiece guest.[87]

Two weeks after his 12-minute appearance vs. Chelsea, still not fully healed Beckham finally made his league debut as a substitute on 9 August away versus DC United in front of the sellout crowd of 46,686 (nearly three times the average DC United home crowd) at the RFK Stadium, coming on for Quavas Kirk in the 71st minute.[88] Coming into the nationally televised match on ESPN, played under a heavy downpour with his team down a man and down a goal, even if only 70% fit, Beckham left a mark during the remaining twenty plus minutes. He hit a long free kick that Carlos Pavón failed to finish on for the equalizier, and then in the final minutes Beckham served a weighted through ball into Donovan's path that United's keeper Troy Perkins managed to break up in the last moment - the Galaxy lost 1-0. The next match on the road trip was at New England Revolution and Beckham decided to sit it out, fearing further aggrivating his ankle on the Gillette Stadium's artificial surface.

Beckham returned to the pitch the following week, again facing DC 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.[89] 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 Pachuca on 29 August.

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 the 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 4 January 2008 for three weeks, until he returned to the Galaxy for pre-season training.[90] Beckham scored his first league goal with the Galaxy on 3 April against the San Jose Earthquakes in the 9th minute.[91] On 24 May 2008, the Galaxy 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 Conference. In the match, Beckham scored an 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, the other being a 1996 goal from the half-way line against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park.[92] Overall, however, the Galaxy had a disappointing year, failing to qualify for the end-of-season play-offs.

In April 2007, he and wife Victoria bought an $18.2 million home on San Ysidro Drive in Beverly Hills.[80]

Beckham's contract with LA Galaxy took effect on 11 July, and on 13 July, the famous Englishman was officially unveiled as a Galaxy player at the Home Depot Center to much fanfare and world media interest in front of more than 5,000 gathered fans and some 700 accredited media members.[81] Beckham chose to wear number 23. It was announced that Galaxy jersey sales had already reached a record figure of over 250,000 prior to this formal introduction.[82]

In parallel, Beckham's handlers at 19 Entertainment succeeded in putting together an unprecedented US media rollout designed to expand his carefully crafted personal brand in America. He made the cover of Sports Illustrated, a few weeks earlier Adidas launched the extensive 13-part ad campaign "Fútbol meets Football" starring Beckham and NFL running back Reggie Bush, and W magazine published a racy photo spread featuring David and wife Victoria. Meanwhile, ESPN sports network was running "Hello, Goodbye" promotional campaign and it also agreed to air David Beckham: New Beginnings documentary produced by 19 Entertainment before the friendly match versus Chelsea, which was expected to be Beckham's American debut. In addition to popularizing soccer, Beckham's arrival was used as platform for entertainment industry endeavours. Since both Beckham's and his wife's often overlapping careers were handled by 19 Entertainment that's owned by Simon Fuller, who in turn has a business relationship with the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), one of Hollywood's most powerful talent agencies, it was important also for CAA that the Beckhams made as big a splash as possible upon their arrival in the United States. On July 16, CAA had hosted a welcoming bash for David at its new eight-storey, $400 million headquarters in Century City with CAA employees reportedly instructed beforehand to line the staircase and clap for Beckham upon his arrival.[83] That night Victoria's reality show prime-time special Victoria Beckham: Coming to America aired on NBC, drawing terrible reviews in the American press and poor US viewership ratings.[84]


David Beckham became the Los Angeles Galaxy captain immediately upon joining the teamOn Saturday afternoon, 21 July, despite still nursing the injured left ankle that he picked up a month earlier during the final match of La Liga's season, Beckham made his Galaxy debut, coming on for Alan Gordon in the 78th minute of a 0–1 friendly loss to Chelsea as part of the World Series of Soccer.[85] With a capacity crowd, along with a long Hollywood celebrity list featuring Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Eva Longoria Parker, Mary-Kate Olsen, governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Alicia Silverstone and Drew Carey among others, present at the Home Depot Center, the match was broadcast live on ESPN's main network. However, the proceedings on the field of play completely took a back seat to the Beckham spectacle, and despite the presence of worldwide football stars Andriy Shevchenko, Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard, and John Terry, the US television cameras were firmly focused on Beckham who spent most of the match on the bench. The match's added time featured a scare for already injured Beckham when he got tackled by Steve Sidwell whose cleats struck Beckham's right foot, sending him airborne before he crumpled hard to the ground. Though the existing injury wasn't aggravated too much, Beckham's recovery process was set back by about a week. ESPN's presentation of Beckham's debut earned a 1.0 TV rating, meaning it was seen in an average of 947,000 television homes in the US - a disappointing figure given the national media buzz and two weeks of constant promotion by ESPN. For comparison ESPN2's weekly MLS broadcasts on Thursdays drew a consistent 0.2 rating on virtually no promotion while Freddy Adu's MLS debut televised on ABC back in 2004 earned a 1.3 rating.[80] As far as sporting events that were televised that weekend in the United States, Beckham's much publicized debut drew less TV viewers than British Open golf tournament, a regular-season national baseball game, and even the Indy Racing League's Honda 200 motor race.[80]

However, about a month later, Capello backtracked on his earlier statement, allowing Beckham to rejoin the team for the match against Real Sociedad on 10 February 2007. The player immediately repaid his head coach's trust by scoring the equalising goal from a 27-yard free kick as Real Madrid eventually recorded a 2–1 victory.[69] In his final UEFA Champions League appearance for the club, Real Madrid were knocked out of the competition by Bayern Munich at the round-of-16 stage (on the away goals rule) on 7 March 2007. The return leg against Bayern was Beckham's 103rd match in the Champions League, at the time placing him third on the all-time appearances list in the competition.


Beckham's last season in Real MadridOn 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 RCD Mallorca, which saw them clinch the title from Barcelona. With Real down 0–1 Beckham limped off the field and was replaced by José Antonio Reyes who scored two goals leading the team to that season's La Liga title, their first since Beckham had signed with them and 30th overall in club's history. Although Real and Barca both finished level on points, Madrid took the title because of superior head-to-head record, capping a remarkable six-month turnaround for Beckham. With his wife and children along with celebrity friends Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes watching from a luxury box at Bernabeu Stadium, it was only Beckham's second piece of silverware since he joined the famous club.

Towards the end of the season, as Beckham was getting back into Capello's good books after successfully fighting his way back into the first team, Real Madrid announced they would try to untie his transfer to LA Galaxy, but were ultimately unsuccessful.[70] Several weeks before Beckham's scheduled arrival to the United States, Real's management contacted LA Galaxy's ownership group about reacquiring the player, but were quickly turned down.[71]

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 US$600 million during Beckham's four years at the club.[72]

Los Angeles Galaxy
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.[73]

Beckham on going to America
From ESPN
Beckham (centre) scores his first goal for LA GalaxyBeckham's involvement with Major League Soccer began while he was still a Real Madrid player when it was confirmed on 11 January 2007 that the world's most famous footballer would be leaving Madrid in six months in order to join MLS' Los Angeles Galaxy. The speculation about his new contract in Madrid was thus put to an end and the following day Beckham's official press conference was held in conjunction with the 2007 MLS SuperDraft.[74]

Predictably, the announcement made top news all across the globe. Though many worldwide media outlets reported the deal to be worth US$250 million,[75] the astronomical figure was soon revealed to be something of a PR stunt engineered by Beckham's media handlers (British representative agency 19 Entertainment).[76] In order to maximize the media effect, in the press release they decided to list the potential sum that Beckham could make over the 5-year period from all his revenue sources, which in addition to his Galaxy pay also include his personal endorsements. Beckham's actual deal with the Galaxy was a 5-year contract worth US$32.5 million in total or $6.5 million per year.[77]

The high-profile acquisition paid immediate financial dividends for Galaxy long before Beckham joined the team. On the strength of the signing and the media frenzy it created, the club was able to pull off a new 5-year shirt sponsorship deal with Herbalife nutrition company worth US$20 million. The gate revenue peaked as well with 11,000 new season tickets holders and sold-out luxury suites (each one of the 42 inside the team's home ground, the Home Depot Center).[78] Even the LA Galaxy owners Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) saw an immediate spike in business. Involved on many business fronts worldwide, AEG was already leveraging its Beckham association in places such as China, where the company had been working aggressively in Shanghai and Beijing for years to receive clearance to build arenas and stadiums. The company's CEO Tim Leiweke put it as follows: "Suddenly, we're known as the company that owns the team that David Beckham is going to play for, so our world changed".[79]

In the months following the announcement, the additional terms of Beckham's contract became public knowledge. One unique contract provision was giving him the option of buying an MLS expansion franchise at a fixed price whenever he stopped playing in the league - an allowance that the league's owners had never given to a player before. Another provision was the opt-out clause after the 2009 season, meaning that should he decide so, Beckham was free to leave the club after completing year three of his 5-year contract.[78]