Before the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo became household names across the world, there was David Beckham. A name synonymous with even non-football fans, Beckham is the only British player whose popularity stretched beyond football boundaries.
Be it his hairstyles, the movie “Bend it like Beckham” or the style quotient that enabled his name to ring alongside the celebrities in the entertainment field, David Beckham has undoubtedly played his part in spreading football across the world.
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Blessed with a wand of a right-foot that was evident from his set-piece delivery and crosses, David Beckham was one of the world’s greatest free-kick takers. Over the course of two decades, he thrilled fans in various countries, thereby earning recognition from fans all over the world.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at every football team he has played for since the start of his career.
#1 Tottenham Hotspur
A possible surprise for many, David Beckham was part of the Tottenham youth structure and not at the other English giant as many would expect. However, he barely spent any notable time at the club before venturing towards the club of his dreams, where he became a superstar.
Further, Beckham also trained with Tottenham in January and February of 2011 to maintain fitness during the off-season of his then club playing in the Major League Soccer (MLS) in America.
#2 Preston North End
Another surprise entrant on the list, Beckham went out on loan to Preston North End to gain experience during in the 1994/95 season and the lore of his right-foot began at that point. However, his good performances led to an early recall from the parent club and the loan spell was cut short.
Nonetheless, Preston North End grew a little bit richer having David Beckham in their ranks, albeit for a short time.
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#3 Manchester United
‘The Class of 92’ are a select group of youngsters at Manchester United who went on to become mainstays in Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure at the club and dominated the English landscape for two decades. David Beckham belonged to that elite group which also included the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville.
He spent the best and longest part of his career at Old Trafford, winning six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one Champions League in one of the greatest ever European comebacks against Bayern Munich in 1999 where both the equaliser and winner in injury-time were from Beckham’s corners.
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That terrific 1998/1999 season saw Beckham finish runner-up to Rivaldo in the FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d’Or awards.
Despite various speculations regarding Beckham leaving United at various points of time, he spent more than a decade at the club. Eventually, the club and player parted ways after a major altercation between Ferguson and Beckham in the aftermath of a defeat in the FA Cup against Arsenal in 2003.
That ended Beckham’s time as a Red Devil but he is deeply loved by the United fanbase till date.
#4 England National Team
Beckham had a long career for the national side that began in 1996. He became the captain of the national team in 2000 and led England in the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup as well as Euro 2004. After stepping down in 2006, he continued being a regular fixture in the side until the 2010 FIFA World Cup which he missed due to an injury he picked up prior to it.
He amassed 115 caps for England during his time and is currently the third-highest capped player behind Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney and Peter Shilton. Further, he has been a cultural icon for England throughout the world and his patriotic vibes for his country is well-documented as well.
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#5 Real Madrid
Initially expected to transfer to Barcelona, Beckham ended up joining Real Madrid’s Galacticos team playing alongside the likes of Zinedine Zidane, the Brazilian Ronaldo, and Roberto Carlos. Although the first Galacticos era was not as successful as one would expect, Beckham had a decent career at the Spanish club and even led the assists table in the La Liga for the 2005/06 season.
Beckham’s four-year stay at Madrid helped the capital club commercially given the former’s global recognition. However, a dispute between player and then manager, Fabio Capello, led to Beckham signing for his next club mid-season in January.
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Despite Capello softening his stance and Madrid trying to untie the deal with Beckham’s new club at the end of the season, the Englishman’s time at the club came to an end in 2007.
#6 LA Galaxy
David Beckham made one of the most telling contributions to MLS and American football when he signed for Los Angeles team, L.A. Galaxy in 2007. The league began after the success of the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States – which is rated by many as the best World Cup of all time – and was still in its nascent stages when Beckham brought popularity to the league by signing for the MLS club.
He spent six seasons at the club, clocking 118 appearances and winning the MLS Cup twice in 2011 and 2012. As can be seen for most of his career, Beckham’s tryst with the entertainment industry through his wife, Victoria, and as a fashion icon himself, always led to fingers being pointed in his direction at both club and country level.
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But more often than not, Beckham ended up silencing his doubters and a similar story unfolded at LA Galaxy as well. In 2013, with one more year remaining on his contract, Beckham made the final transfer of his professional career.
#7 AC Milan
The MLS schedule runs from spring-to-fall of the year and therefore the off-season is longer than the regular European leagues. As such, to maintain fitness and keep his place in the national side, Beckham joined AC Milan on-loan for the second-half of the Italian season during 2008/09 and 2009/10 seasons.
He made 33 appearances in total across the two loan spells and played in a team consisting of Ronaldinho, Kaka, Clarence Seedorf and Paolo Maldini.
He made a positive impact during his time in Italy and a special moment occurred when he returned to Manchester United for a Champions League match on 10th March 2010. He was applauded by the Manchester United fans when he came on as a substitute in the second-half which was a sign of the warmth he has with the fans.
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#8 Paris Saint-Germain
After Beckham finished his stint in the United States, he chose to play for French team PSG and joined them in January 2013. He signed a five-month deal with the French club with his salary being donated to a local children’s charity.
He became the 400th player to ever play for the club and picked up a league winners’ medal for winning the Ligue 1 title. He announced his retirement at the end of that season and pulled down the curtains on a glorious career across countries and remains one of football’s foremost spokesperson till date.
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