by Ziggy Keane

Created on: May 30, 2009   Last Updated: June 01, 2009

David Beckham is one of the most marketable athletes in world sports, and remains one of the best free kick takers in soccer.

Born into a family of fanatical Manchester United supporters, there was only going to be one team Beckham would aspire to play for in those early years.

In 1991, Beckham made that dream a reality by signing for their youth side, and went on to make 265 professional appearances for the club, during which he scored 62 goals.

Beckham is a wide-right midfielder who is known for his deadly ability to strike the ball from free-kick situations, and he is also a strong crosser of the ball. Although he is a hard worker, his tackling and defensive abilities are quite limited. He has also played on occasion in the center of the park, where his ability to hit incisive through balls to the strikers can be the difference between winning or losing.

During his time with United, Beckham was part of a side that dominated the English game, as they won the league in the 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01, and 2002-03 campaigns. 1999 was an especially magnificent season, as United won the Treble by winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions' League.

In 2003, Beckham moved to sunny Spain to play with one of La Liga's top clubs, Real Madrid, in a 25 million pound deal. During his spell, he managed to score 13 goals in 116 appearances, and managed to win the La Liga title in his final season with the club, in the 2006-07 campaign.

Beckham left Madrid for MLS side LA Galaxy on a free transfer after his contract expired with the Spanish champions. Beckham has played 30 games over two seasons in MLS, scoring 5 goals, but the club has struggled to achieve any level of success during his time in America.

On January 7, 2009, Beckham joined Italian side AC Milan in order to keep up his fitness levels for the English national side during the MLS off-season. He has enjoyed his time at the club, and Milan have been reported as eager to sign him to a permanent deal. In March, Beckham announced that a "timeshare" agreement had been decided, whereby he would play for AC Milan until the end of the Italian campaign, before moving back to play the last half of the MLS season in July.

Beckham is also famous for his role with the England national side, as he is their most capped outfield player with 110 caps. In these appearances he has scored 17 goals, and was team captain from November 2000 to 2006.

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