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There are two facets to David Beckham. There is David Beckham the footballer. Then there is David Beckham the star.

People were already beginning to talk about an exciting young player in the Manchester United ranks when Becks shot to prominence with an incredible goal against Wimbledon. He picked up the ball inside his own half and actually lobbed the embarrassed opposition goalkeeper. From then on he has rarely been out of the headlines.

He was soon in the England team, but the whole nation seemed to turn against him when he was sent off against Argentina in the World Cup in France. England were knocked out in the match and it seemed like the whole country blamed Beckham for one moment of petulance. In that moment, he grew up. He knuckled down, almost as if he were doing his penance. He trained harder than ever, he became dignified in interviews. He won back the love of English football supporters.

His greatest performance in and England shirt came in a World Cup qualifier against Greece, when Beckham never stopped running for 90 minutes and then slotted home one of his trademark free kicks to ensure England got to the 2002 finals right at the end of the game. He very nearly missed out on the finals with that infamous metatarsal injury that gave many football supporters a new word to contemplate.

Becks moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid after a highly publicized fall out with Old Trafford manager Sir Alec Ferguson and he proved highly popular with the fans in Spain. After the 2006 World Cup, everybody said Becks was finished. He was dropped by both England and then Madrid, the latter after he signed for LA Galaxy. Instead of accepting his lot, he worked hard and was back in both teams by popular demand. Unfortunately, the last few months of his career on the field have been blighted by injury. It remains to be seen how he gets on in the USA.

That he has won almost a hundred England caps speaks for itself. But there is more to Golden Balls than just being a footballer. He has invented brand Beckham. It helped that he married a pop star, Posh Spice. Both have made themselves into millionaires in their own right. Whatever the papers say, they appear to be a close unit. With his looks and nous, Beckham has attracted sponsors and advertisers. And with astute management, his contracts have ensure the money still pours in. George Best was the first superstar footballer in Britain. Beckham has taken all that to a new level. He has moved from the back pages to the front of newspapers. Everything he does or says is scrutinized in great detail. He has quite simply turned himself into a money making factory. And he's done it without his footballing talent being affected in any adverse way.

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