David Beckham was born in Leytonstone, London on May 2, 1975. He joined Manchester United as a trainee in 1991. In 1993, he signed a professional contract and two years later was sent on loan to Preston, before returning to help win the double in 1996
In the same year he made his England debut, but it was his goal from the half-way line against Wimbledon (pictured) that put him in the limelight. 1997 saw another championship for United, with Beckham named PFA Young Player of the Year award
At the beginning of 1998, he announced his engagement to Victoria Adams - aka Posh Spice - and scored England's opening goal in the World Cup finals in France, against Colombia quickly winning public adoration
But he was to experience another side of public attention after he was sent off for kicking Argentina's Diego Simeone as England were knocked out of the World Cup. He was the focus of vicious chants at grounds around the country on his return
Beckham made the headlines when he scored a late equaliser in England's 2-2 draw with Greece in their final World Cup qualifier at Old Trafford to secure his country's progress to the finals in South Korea and Japan
Off the field, Beckham was offered several lucrative deals with high-profile fashion houses
When Beckham fashioned his new hairstyle on Robert De Niro's character Travis Bickle form Taxi Driver, newspapers splashed pictures of the England captain across the front pages and young boys up and down the country copied their idol
Beckham atoned for his sending off against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup finals when he scored the winning goal from the penalty spot against the South Americans in the group stages to ensure England's progress to the 2002 knock-out stages
Following Argentina's elimination, Diego Simeone - the player Beckham fouled before being sent off in 1998 - shook hands with the England captain
During an international friendly with South Africa, Beckham, in his capacity as England captain, met former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela (centre). Beckham was accompanied by his South Africa opposite Lucas Radebe
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson became increasingly frustrated with the amount of time Beckham was spending on non-footballing activities. The fiery Scot was said to have kicked at the midfielder during a team talk as the rift between the two grew
July 2003 saw Beckham move to Real Madrid for £25 million. Madrid were widely reported to have bought the player to use as a vehicle to sell shirts ahead of his footballing skills
Real Madrid used Beckham as they looked to expand business opportunities in the Far East
In April 2004 Sunday newspapers published a story claiming that Beckham had had an affair with his former personal assistant Rebecca Loos, who also revealed that the player enjoyed sending her explicit text 
Beckham endured a miserable time at the Euro 2004 in Portugal where he had a penalty saved in England's 2-1 defeat to France by former team-mate Fabien Barthez and missed the decisive penalty in a quarter-final shoot-out against the hosts
The player's popularity appeared to cross all boundaries when artist Sam Taylor-Wood produced an installation at the National Portrait Gallery simply called 'David'. Beckham even managed to make headlines in his sleep
After winning over the Santiago Bernabeu management and supporters, Beckham bowed out on a high. Real clinched La Liga - their only title during the Englishman's time at the club - on the final day of the season after beating Mallorca 3-1
After playing for two of the biggest clubs in the world, Beckham's move to America came as a surprise to most within the game . . .
. . . although local traders had no complaints as a new generation of supporters flocked to watch Los Angeles Galaxy at The Home Depot Center
The Beckhams took no time in making new friends. Tom Cruise (left) and his Katie Holmes had already been spotted watching David at work in Madrid, but Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith (right) were new additions to the family album
During the American season's close season Beckham returned to England and trained with Arsenal in an effort to keep himself fit and prolong his international career
Teenage girls replaced Madrid's Ultras Sur with banners that would look more at home at a pop concert
In a further attempt to extend his England career, Beckham joined seven-time European Cup winners AC Milan on loan
Beckham first wore the famous colours of the Rossoneri during a Dubai Football Challenge match against Germany's Hamburg at the Emirates Sevens Stadium in Dubai
Beckham made himself feel at home during Milan Fashion Week as he sat alongside rugby union player Danny Cipriani and his girlfriend Kelly Brook at the Emporio Armani show
Alongside his wife, Beckham could be seen advertising the Italian fashion house on billboards all around the world
As Beckham arrived in Rome for his Serie A debut, crowds and camera-men gathered to greet him
Beckham marked his full competitive debut for Milan with a goal against Roma
After impressing coach Carlo Ancelotti, Milan tried to make Beckham's transfer permanent. However, LA Galaxy refused and after much negotiation, the midfielder stayed at the San Siro club on what has been described as a timeshare deal
Friends reunited: David Beckham (centre), former United midfielder, joined in the post-match celebrations with his old team-mates Gary Neville (left) and Ryan Giggs