David Beckham: the career highs and lows
David Beckham became the latest of a minority of footballers to win three league titles in three different countries after LA Galaxy beat Houston Dynamo 1-0 in the MLS Cup final. In a career littered with both highs and lows, we picked out six of each. What is your favourite David Beckham moment?
SIX LOW POINTS
PUBLIC ENEMY NO.1: 30/06/98
Possibly the lowest moment of Beckham's entire career. At the World Cup in France, Beckham was sent off for a petulant kick at Argentine midfielder Diego Simeone during the last 16 match. England eventually went out on penalties leading England fans to round on Beckham, booing him at English club grounds leaving him to consider a transfer abroad to escape the vilification.
WORLD CUP HEARTACHE: 10 April 2002
Beckham's 2002 World Cup was ruined before it began following a tackle from Deportivo La Coruña's Aldo Duscher in a Champions League quarter-final, which broke a metatarsal in his left foot. Conspiracy theorists jumped on the fact that Duscher's Argentina were to play England in the World Cup and thought that Becks had been deliberately injured. The captain did make the finals, but was not fully fit.
BECKS GIVEN BOOT BY FERGIE: 15/02/03
Beckham's relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson had been cooling for some time, but this was the straw which broke the camel's back. Ferguson was laying into his team after a defeat to Arsenal when he kicked a football boot across the changing room, which hit Beckham above the eye, leaving him needing stitches. Though it was an accident, the incident hastened Beckham's exit from Old Trafford.
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC STANDS DOWN: 02/07/06
The day after England had been knocked out of the 2006 World Cup on penalties by Portugal, a tearful Beckham called a press conference where he announced that he was standing down as England captain. Having skippered his country 58 times, Beckham said that the decision to resign the England captaincy was the "most difficult of [his] career."
DROPPED BY MCCLAREN: 11/08/06
Despite insisting that he still wanted to be considered for England selection after giving up the captaincy, Beckham was left out of new England manager Steve McClaren's first squad, who said he was "looking to go in a different direction" with the England team and that Beckham "wasn't included within that." It took him almost a year to get back into the England set-up.
INJURY DENIES BECKS A FOURTH WORLD CUP APPEARANCE: 14/03/10
Beckham tore his Achilles tendon while attempting a pass the ball during a game between AC Milan - where he was on loan - and Chievo ruling him out of the 2010 World Cup. Beckham was hoping to become to become the first England player to appear at four world cups, but the injury ended those dreams, and all but ended his England career. Despite going to the World Cup as an advisor, he was powerless once again to stop England limping out of the World Cup.
SIX GLORIOUS HIGHS
BECKS ANNOUNCES HIMSELF: 17/08/96
With one wonderful goal, the young Man United midfielder had everyone talking about the name David Beckham. Spotting Wimbledon 'keeper Neil Sullivan off his line, Beckham, who was inside his own half, lobbed the helpless goalie. Man United won the match 3-0.
CHAMPION OF EUROPE: 26/05/99
In the absence of the suspended Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, Beckham started the Champions League Final in centre midfield. As the game entered injury time, Man United trailed Bayern Munich 1-0 and all looked lost. However, three minutes and two Beckham corners later, United had totally turned the game around, completing their treble, while he also finished second behind Rivaldo in FIFA's World Player of the Year award.
CAPTAIN OF ENGLAND: 15/11/00
Following the departure of Kevin Keegan, Beckham was named as England captain by interim manager Peter Taylor for a friendly against Italy in Torino. Despite England losing 1-0, Beckham went on to captain England 58 times and described the role as the "greatest honour of [his] career."
THAT FREE-KICK: 06/06/01 - England vs Greece, World Cup 2002 Qualifier
The captain completed his England redemption following his sending off against Argentina in 1998 when he scored the injury time equaliser that confirmed England's place at the 2002 World Cup. Trailing 2-1 at Old Trafford and with a play-off looming, Beckham curled in a fantastic free-kick to send England fans wild and the England team to Japan and South Korea.
LA LIGA CHAMPION AT LAST: 18/06/07
Four years after joining Real Madrid, Beckham finally won the title. Having been frozen out by Fabio Capello at the start of the 2006/07 season and having already signed for LA Galaxy, he was recalled in mid-February with his return coinciding with an upturn in Real's form. The club beat Real Mallorca 3-1 to clinch the title and such was Beckham's impact that Capello and Madrid launched a late bid to keep him at the Bernabeu.
JOINING THE 100 CLUB: 26/03/08
Ahead of England's friendly against France in Paris, Beckham became only the fifth man to reach 100 caps for the Three Lions when Fabio Capello selected him. The midfielder said he was "honoured" to have achieve the milestone, which has only been reached by legends Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton, Billy Wright and Peter Shilton.
Words: Ciaran Brett