My Side Davic Beckham My Side David Beckham with Tom Watt To Victoria, Brooklyn and Romeo The three people who always make me smile My Babies Forever Love David Table of Contents Cover Page Title Page.
Davic Beckham: My Side David Beckham with Tom Watt To Victoria, Brooklyn and Romeo The three people who always make me smile My Babies Forever Love David Table of Contents Cover Page Title Page Dedication The Back Garden, August 2004 Murdering the Flowerbeds The Man in the Brown Sierra Home from Home DB on the Tarmac The One with the Legs Don’t Cry for Me Thanks for Standing By Me I Do The Germans 10 My Foot in It 11 Beckham (pen) 12 Bubble Beckham 13 About Loyalty 14 United Born and Bred 15 For Real: Hala Madrid! 16 Futbol, La Vida 17 It’s Christmas 18 Let’s Face It Career Record Index Acknowledgements Copyright About the Publisher The Back Garden, August 2004 ‘What matters most in my life I can see in front of me.’ In Madrid, the evenings are perfect like this more often than not It’s just gone seven, the sun’s down from the sky but it’s still warming my heart and warming my bones There’s a glass of red wine on the table in front of me And another in front of Victoria Brooklyn’s being some kind of superhero, plunging in and out of the little pool a few yards down the garden from this terrace where Mr and Mrs are sitting, feet up, cheering him on Romeo’s at the bottom of the steps that take you out onto the grass, being best friends with Carlos That’s the dog, not the leftback It’s a long way from Chingford but, just like the house I grew up in, it’s not just a casa It feels like a home, somewhere you belong Un hogar, they call it in Spain Back from a summer away and Euro 2004, we’ve found a place to live together, the four of us, here in Madrid We’ve taken a three-year lease – my contract at Real finishes in 2007 – on a house in La Moraleja, a residential area to the north of the city We’re twenty minutes from the training ground and from the Santiago Bernebeu; half an hour from the middle of town And just a few minutes from where Brooklyn is going to start school next month La Moraleja is green and quiet – todo tranquillo – and the trees spread shade across our garden, which I can see the end of from here, for most of every day I’ve got my first competitive game of a new season waiting for me in a week’s time, after last season left Real Madrid needing to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League this time around It’s crossed my mind a couple of times recently that we had to the same at United before going on to win the thing back in 1999 I don’t know if you could ever have quite the same feeling ahead of a new season with any other club: here at Real our own sense of ambition in the dressing room is as tangible as the sense of expectation around the streets of the city This is a football club, after all, where anything – anything at all – seems possible Each fresh start feels like history waiting to be made What’s more, we know we owe the madridistas after what happened to us –and to them – last spring I’ve been in Madrid for twelve months now A year ago, all of it was new, and as confusing as it was exciting I was waiting to find out what was expected of me; what I could expect from life at a new club and in a new city Now, I’ve found my way past most of those questions I mean: I know now what I’m going to be asked The answers, of course, will have to wait for kick-off And a new manager at the Bernebeu, José Antonio Camacho, has already made sure we understand that we’ll need to find the right ones To say a lot’s happened since I left the club I grew up at, Manchester United, and came to Spain to start learning all over again, wouldn’t be the half of it Some of what’s gone on I could perhaps have been half-expecting Most of it, though, I had no idea at all about when I got here a season and a major international tournament ago I can still remember the adrenalin rushing through my system the August morning I was introduced to Madrid as a Real player At the Pabellon Raimundo Saporta, I’d been hurried through corridors and then ushered onto a stage alongside the President, Florentino Perez, and the greatest player ever to pull on the white shirt that I was going to wear for the next four years, Alfredo di Stefano Thinking back now, one thing nags me about that day Especially after the shocks and challenges and lessons I’ve learnt over the months since Amidst all that felt just right that morning, one thing jarred at the time and still does Now, in August 2004, I’m grateful to put right a choice of words I made before my life was turned upside down during a year in Spain, back home in England and at Euro 2004 The last twelve months have reminded me – if I needed reminding – what’s made the whole adventure worth the living so far When it came time for me to speak to the press and to the Real supporters, my voice trailing away across that hangar of a basketball court, I remember I said: ‘I have always loved football Of course I love my family and I have a wonderful life But football is everything to me To play for Real Madrid is a dream come true.’ Football and my family: know about them and you know most of what you need to about David Beckham Back then, though, I had those things – the things that have made me the person I am – in the wrong order I probably knew then And I definitely know it about myself now Football’s the best game in the world, the best career I could possibly have been lucky enough to enjoy It’s given me fulfilment and a lot more besides But everything to me? No, I’m sitting here on a terrace at our new home in Moraleja and what matters most in my life – in anybody’s life, surely – I can see in front of me I can put my arms around them right now: my wife and my two sons They’re what I’m here for I hope I’ll never have to, but I’d sacrifice what I for a living and everything it’s brought my way without a second thought to have what I have having them I met Victoria, fell in love with and married her and, together, we’ve made our family Until you love your own children, you never realise quite how much your mum and dad loved you I’m ready to for my family what Mum and Dad did for me: everything Doesn’t matter how exciting, frantic or rewarding the rest of it is, it’s Victoria and Brooklyn and Romeo who make sense of it all ‘To play for Real Madrid is a dream come true.’ That’s right enough And it keeps coming true every time I pull Real’s white shirt over my head But for us Beckhams, here together with the warm air wrapped round us, back in England or wherever else the future’s going to take us: it’s the together that counts: I could never have imagined how sweet it would be until it happened And it has for me; and for my wife and for my children too Our lives have come true: a family Whatever lies ahead of us, I won’t ever let them go Murdering the Flowerbeds ‘Mrs Beckham? Can David come and have a game in the park?’ I’m sure Mum could dig it out of the pile: that first video of me in action There I am, David Robert Joseph Beckham, aged three, wearing the new Manchester United kit Dad had bought me for Christmas, playing football in the front room of our house in Chingford Twenty-five years on, and Victoria could have filmed me having a kickabout this morning with Brooklyn before I left for training For all that so much has happened during my life – and the shirt I’m wearing now is a different colour – some things haven’t really changed at all As a father watching my own sons growing up, I get an idea of what I must have been like as a boy; and reminders, as well, of what Dad was like with me As soon as I could walk, he made sure I had a football to kick Maybe I didn’t even wait for a ball I remember when Brooklyn had only just got the hang of standing up We were messing around together one afternoon after training For some reason there was a tin of baked beans on the floor of the kitchen and, before I realised it, he’d taken a couple of unsteady steps towards it and kicked the thing as hard as you like Frightening really: you could fracture a metatarsal doing that Even as I was hugging him better, I couldn’t help laughing That must have been me It’s just there, wired into the genes Look at Brooklyn: he always wants to be playing football, running, kicking, diving about And he’s already listening, like he’s ready to learn By the time he was three and a half, if I rolled the football to him and told him to stop it, he’d trap it by putting his foot on it Then he’d take a step back and line himself up before kicking it back to me He’s also got a great sense of balance We were in New York when Brooklyn was about two and a half, and I remember us coming out of a restaurant and walking down some steps He was standing, facing up towards Victoria and I, his toes on one step and his heels rocking back over the next This guy must have been watching from inside the restaurant, because suddenly he came running out and asked us how old our son was When I told him, he explained he was a child psychologist and that for Brooklyn to be able to balance himself over the step like that was amazing for a boy of his age It’s a little too early to tell with Romeo, but Brooklyn has got a real confidence that comes from his energy, his strength, and his sense of coordination He’s been whizzing around on two-wheeled scooters – I mean flying – for years already He’s got a belief in himself, physically, that I know I had as well When I was a boy, I only ever felt really sure of myself when I was playing football In fact I’d still say that about me now, although Victoria has given me confidence in myself in all sorts of other ways I know she’ll the same for Brooklyn and Romeo too For all that father and son have in common, Brooklyn and I are very different By the time I was his age, I was already telling anyone who would listen: ‘I’m going to play football for Manchester United.’ He says he wants to be a footballer like Daddy, but United or Real? We haven’t heard that out of him yet Brooklyn’s a really strong, well-built boy Me, though, I was always skinny However much I ate it never made any difference while I was growing up When I was playing football, I must have seemed even smaller because, if I wasn’t with my dad and his mates, I was over at Chase Lane Park, just round the corner from the house, playing with boys twice my age I don’t know if it was because I was good or because they could kick me up in the air and I’d come back for more, but they always turned up on the doorstep after school: ‘Mrs Beckham? Can David come and have a game in the park?’ I spent a lot of time in Chase Lane Park If I wasn’t there with the bigger boys like Alan Smith, who lived two doors away on our road, I’d be there with my dad We’d started by kicking a ball about in the back garden but I was murdering the flowerbeds so, after he got in from his job as a heating engineer, we’d go to the park together and just practise and practise for hours on end All the strengths in my game are the ones Dad taught me in the park 20 years ago: we’d work on touch and striking the ball properly until it was too dark to see He’d kick the ball up in the air as high as he could and get me to control it Then it would be knocking it in with each foot, making sure I was doing it right It was great, even if he did drive me mad sometimes ‘Why can’t you just go in goal and let me take shots at you?’ I’d be thinking I suppose you could say he was pushing me along You’d also have to say, though, that it was all I wanted to and I was lucky Dad was so willing to it with me My dad, Ted, played himself for a local team called Kingfisher in the Forest and District League, and I would go along with my mum Sandra, my older sister Lynne and baby Joanne to watch him play He was a centre-forward; Mark Hughes, but rougher He had trials for Leyton Orient and played semiprofessional for a couple of years at Finchley Wingate Dad was a good player, although he always used to get caught offside It took me a long time to understand how that rule worked and I’m not sure Dad ever really got it sorted out I loved watching him I loved everything that went with the game, and I could tell how much playing meant to him as well When he told me he was going to pack in playing regularly himself so he could concentrate on coaching me – I must have been eight or nine at the time – I knew exactly what that sacrifice meant even though he never talked about it in that way From the time I was seven, Dad was taking me to training with Kingfisher on midweek evenings down at a place called Wadham Lodge, just round the North Circular Road from us I’ve got great memories of those nights, not just being with Dad and his mates, but of the ground itself It was about ten minutes from the house in the car We’d drive down this long street of terraced houses and pull in through a set of big, blue wooden gates, past the first car park and onto the second car park, which was right next to the training ground The pitch was orange-coloured gravel and cinder, with proper goalposts and nets, and there was a little bar, the social club, that overlooked it Beyond that pitch, there were three or four others, including the best one which was reserved for cup games and special occasions It had a little wall all around it and two dugouts It seemed like a massive stadium to me at the time I dreamt about playing on that pitch one day Wadham Lodge wasn’t very well looked after back then I remember the changing rooms were pure Sunday League: mud on the floor, really dingy lighting and the water dribbling out of cold showers Then there was the smell of the liniment that players used to rub on their legs It would hit you as soon as you walked in There were floodlights – just six lamps on top of poles – but at least once every session they’d go out and somebody would have to run in and put coins in a meter that was in a cupboard just inside the changing room door As well as training with Kingfisher during the football season, we’d be back at Wadham Lodge in the summer holidays Dad used to run, and also play for, a team in the summer league, so I’d come to games with him We’d practise together before and after and then, while his match was taking place on the big pitch, I’d find some other boys to play with on the cinder next door I’ve had most of my professional career at clubs with the best facilities and where everything’s taken care of, but I’m glad I had the experience of a place like Wadham Lodge when I was a boy I mean, if I’d not been there with my dad, I might have grown up never knowing about Soap on a Rope More to the point, it was where I started taking free-kicks After everybody else had finished and was in the social club, I’d stand on the edge of the penalty area and chip a dead ball towards goal Every time I hit the bar was worth 50p extra pocket money from my dad that week And, just as important, a pat on the back Bryan Adams concert 267 Champions League 1999 166 Champions League 2003 374 coached by Kidd 102 England team spirit 231 England/Germany match 2001 238 Euro 2000 217–219 Euro 2004 479, 482 Euro 2004 qualifiers 469 European Cup Final 1999 172 FA Cup 1996 86–87 FA Cup 1999 169 Ferdinand drug-test incident 466 Ferguson flying boot incident 360 Ferguson’s decision not to retire 260 Ferguson’s temper 356 foot injury 264, 266 friendship with Beckham 53–54 Gascoigne dropped from World Cup squad 122 holiday in Malta 52 injury 484 Liverpool matches 370 loyalty to Manchester United 247 Milk Cup competition 46 number 10shirt incident 246 playing for England 117–118 Prada suits 168 professionalism 207 rough play 50 rumours of Beckham’s transfer 388 Spice Girls video incident 91–92 sponsored Honda car 78–79 talkative nature 70 threat to kidnap Victoria 192 training with Manchester United youth team 43–45, 49–51 training with Schmeichel 71 World Cup 1998 114 World Cup 2002 296 World Cup 2002 qualifiers 230, 238, 254, 257 youngest Manchester United team 66, 69–70 Neville, Philip booed by crowd 216 Bryan Adams concert 267 coached by Kidd 102 dropped from World Cup 1998 squad 122 England team spirit 231 Euro 2000 218–219 FA Cup 1996 87 loyalty to Manchester United 247 Milk Cup competition 46 professionalism 207 scapegoat for England performance 209, 211, 212, 219–220, 482 sponsored Honda car 78 training with Manchester United youth team 44–45, 49 World Cup 1998 114 youngest Manchester United team 66, 69 Nielsen, Kim 132 Noble, Doctor 263–264 O’Kane, John rooming with Beckham 42 snooker club incident 43 training with Manchester United youth team 40 youngest Manchester United team 67 O’Neill, Martin 246, 307 O’Shea, John 63 Oliver, Jamie 77 Owen, Michael Dubai training camp 279 England/Germany match 2001 235–236 Euro 2000 212 Euro 2004 478, 480–481, 483–484, 489 Euro 2004 qualifiers 368 FA Cup 1999 154 FA National School 116 injury 280, 303–304 World Cup 1998 128, 131 World Cup 2002 280, 290–292, 302–305 World Cup 2002 qualifiers 230, 235–236, 257 Palios, Mark 465 Pallister, Gary 70,118 Pearce, Stuart 51 Perez, Florentino Beckham as shirt seller 420 Beckham signing for Real Madrid 408–411 Beckham’s introduction to Real Madrid fans 3, 413–415 big signings 410, 421, 432 buying Figo 410, 421 Camacho appointed manager 458 interest in Beckham 393 negotiations with Beckham 394–395 Peters, Gary 60–61 Phelan, Mike 369, 382 Phipps, Kath 37–38 Placente, Diego 291 Pleat, David 22 Pochettino, Mauricio 292 Postiga, Helder 485 Queen Elizabeth II 253, 325, 347, 429 Queiroz, Carlos Beckham signing for Real Madrid 406 Beckham’s rift with Ferguson 351 coaching Manchester United 288 encouraging Beckham 424 moving Beckham to central midfield 423, 425 Real Madrid video 371 return to Manchester United 459 sacked by Real Madrid 458 coaching style 435 Raul appendicitis 382 Beckham joining Real Madrid 421, 423 Champions League 2000 205 Champions League 2003 371, 373–374 Champions League 2004 455 galacticos 432 La Liga 2003–2004 450–451 nudge incident 450–451 Real Madrid home dressing room 407 Super Cup 2004 427 Real Madrid Beckham at number 23 415–416 Beckham’s celebrity status 440–441 Beckham’s decision to join 393–396 Beckham’s introduction to fans 2–3, 412–418 Beckham’s medical 403–405 Bernabeu stadium 371, 405, 407, 431–432 buying Figo 410, 421 buying Ronaldo 410 buying Zidane 410 Camacho appointed manager 2, 458 Champions League 2000 205–206 Champions League 2003 368–375, 381–385 Champions League 2004 2, 429–430, 451–452, 454–455 confident attitude 433–434 dressing rooms 407 fans 2–3, 417–418, 436–437, 457–458 Far East training tour 421–425 galacticos 432 La Liga 2002–2003 396, 400 La Liga 2003–2004 428–437, 446, 449–459 match-day routine 430–432 Queiroz appointed coach 406 Raul nudge incident 450–451 rumours of Beckham’s transfer 369 sacking Queiroz 458 signing Beckham 396–397, 403–411 Super Cup 2004 425–427 Redondo, Fernando 205 Reyes, José Antonio 434 Rhodes, Gary 77 Ricardo 483, 485–486, 488–489 Richardson, Kieran 63 Ridgeway Rovers 13–17, 20–22, 39, 40 Rivaldo 306–307 Rizo, Ramos 306 Robson, Bryan 23 Beckham signed by Manchester United 36 Beckham’s idol 65, 81, 83 leadership skills 71 Manchester United scouting Beckham 30–31 playing skills 49 Rock Of Gibraltar 241 Ronaldhino 306, 308–309, 311 Ronaldo Beckham joining Real Madrid 421, 423 bought by Real Madrid 387, 410 Champions League 2003 371, 382–383, 385 Champions League 2004 454–455 Euro 2004 485 galacticos 432–433 injury 452, 456 La Liga 2002–2003 400 La Liga 2003–2004 428, 430 laid-back personality 424 leading Real Madrid player 484 Real Madrid home dressing room 407 Super Cup 2004 427–428 World Cup 2002 211, 306 Rooney, Wayne 357 Euro 2004 475, 478–479, 481, 484 Euro 2004 qualifiers 367, 467 injury 484 Rustu 469 Sanchez, José Angel 11–13, 405–407, 409–411, 413 Savage, Robbie 42, 46, 54 Scaloni, Lionel 436–437 Schmeichel, Peter European Cup Final 1999 172 FA Cup 1999 164 support for younger players 70–71 Scholes, Paul 1995–1996 season 81 Beckham’s views on 374–375 Brighton League Cup trip 56 Champions League 2000 205 Champions League 2003 374–375 coached by Kidd 102 England team spirit 231 England/Germany match 2001 236 Euro 2000 212 Euro 2004 481–482 FA Cup 1996 87 loyalty to Manchester United 247 Milk Cup competition 46 playing for England 191 professionalism 207 selected for World Cup 1998 squad 122 suspension 171 training with Manchester United youth team 44–45 World Cup 1998 114 World Cup 2002 293, 306 World Cup 2002 qualifiers 236 youngest Manchester United team 66, 69 Scolari, Luis Felipe 489 Seaman, Dave Dubai training camp 279 FA Cup 1999 163 scapegoat for England performance 209, 309, 482 senior member of England squad 117 training with Beckham 118 World Cup 2002 296, 304, 306, 308–310 World Cup 2002 qualifiers 221, 230 Sexton, Dave 287–288 Sharpe, Lee 52, 70 Shaw, Richard 75 Shearer, Alan Beckham’s sending-off incident 134 end of international career 223, 224 Euro 2000 218 injury 119 playing for Blackburn 69 senior member of England squad 117, 226 transfer to Newcastle United 267 World Cup 1998 131 World Cup 1998 qualifiers 118 Sheringham, Teddy 1998–1999 season 148 European Cup Final 1999 172–173 FA Cup 1999 169 number 10shirt 245 World Cup 2002 294–295, 310 World Cup 2002 qualifiers 230, 255–256 Silvestre, Mikael 475 Simeone, Diego 289, 292–293 Beckham sending-off incident 131–132, 148 hand-shaking incident 155 Sinclair, Trevor 291, 294, 296 Slattery, Steve Beckham’s sending-off incident 132, 135 support for Beckham 129 World Cup 2002 286, 297 Smith, Alan 7, 19, 233, 278, 466 Smith, Jim 153 Smith, Pat 19 Smith, Richard 280, 304 Solari, Santiago 422, 424 Solskjaer, Ole Gunnar 1998–1999 season 152, 154 Champions League 2003 384 European Cup Final 1999 172–173 substituting for Beckham 354, 376–377, 379 Sorin, Juan Pablo 291 Southgate, Gareth 279 Speed, Gary 169 Stam, Jaap 147, 243 Stephens, Tony Beckham left on subs bench 380 Beckham signing for Real Madrid 409 Beckham’s contract with Manchester United 268–269, 270 Beckham’s honeymoon 188–189 Beckham’s rift with Ferguson 351 disliked by Ferguson 267–268 Manchester United selling Beckham 391–392 negotiations with Real Madrid 394–397 support for Beckham 445 World Cup 2002 297 Stiles, Nobby Beckham’s idol 23 coaching Beckham 38, 116 determined spirit 206 Milk Cup trip 45–46 Strachan, Gordon 23, 31 Sullivan, Neil 88 Sutton, Chris 69 Taylor, Peter appointing Beckham as England captain 223–226 coaching England 228 selection of young England squad 226–227, 230 Terry, John 469, 485, 489 Thomas, Michael 85 Thornley, Ben 1996–1997 season 103 Bryan Adams concert 267 David’s relationship with Victoria 110 FA Youth Cup 1992 55 friendship with Beckham 53–54 holiday in Malta 52 Milk Cup tournament 46 Thornley, Rod 286 Tofting, Stig 301 Tottenham Hotspur FA Youth Cup 1992 54–55 offer to Beckham 31–32 training Beckham 22 training Beckham 30–32 Trapattoni, Giovanni 246 Treglowen, Matt 10 Treglowen, Simon 10 Tristan, Diego 261 Tugay 467 Tupac 128 Underwood, Robert 14–15 Underwood, Stuart coaching Ridgeway Rovers 13–15, 20 emphasis on smartness 50, 169 scouting Beckham 13 Usher 258–259, 290, 297 Valdano, Jorge 406, 409–410 van Nistelrooy, Ruud 2002–2003 season 370, 376 Champions League 2003 373–374, 384 Ferguson flying boot incident 360 injury 242 Vassell, Darius 368, 486, 489 Venables, Terry Beckham approached by Spurs 32 Beckham training with Barcelona 28, 30 leaving as England manager 116 Veron, Juan Sebastian (Seba) Beckham left on subs bench 379 Beckham sending-off incident 132, 135 Champions League 2003 382 World Cup 1998 288–289 World Cup 2002 289, 295 Versace, Donatella 168–169 Vialli, Gianluca 445 Vieira, Patrick 164, 236, 376 Vieri, Christian 120 Warren, Frank 178 Watson, Russell 272–274 West, Joe (grandfather) David’s debut as Manchester United captain 244 support for David 13, 27, 29 Tottenham supporter 12–13, 22 West, Peggy (grandmother) 12–13 Whelan, Ray 28 Whitworth, Ray 193 Wilkinson, Howard 190, 223 Wiltord, Sylvain 359 Wiltshire, Don 20 Winstone, Ray 272 World Club Championships 2000 194–198 World Cup 1998 114, 127–136 qualifiers 118–120 World Cup 2002 280–313 qualifiers 220–221, 229–238, 248–259 Wright, Ian 199083, 119–120 Yorke, Dwight 1998–1999 season 152, 155, 167–168 Beckham’s foot injury 264 sidelined by Ferguson 243 signed by Manchester United 147 Zanetti, Javier 131 Zidane, Zinedine Beckham joining Real Madrid 421, 423 bought by Real Madrid 410 Champions League 2003 371, 373, 382, 384, 385 Champions League 2004 429, 452, 454–455 Euro 2004 476–477 galacticos 432–433 La Liga 2002–2003 400 quiet personality 424 Real Madrid home dressing room 407 Acknowledgements To Mum and Dad: without your love and guidance there wouldn’t be a story here for the telling Love to the family, especially Lynne and Joanne, Colin, Georgina and Freddie, Nan and Grandad, Tony and Jackie, Louise, Haydn, Liberty and Tululah, Christian and Lucy To my school friends, my pals from boyhood and my Ridgeway team-mates: I’ve not forgotten any of you To the friends I’ve been lucky enough to find during a career in professional football, including Gary, Phil, Ryan, Nicky and Scholesy And special thanks to Dave, Terry and Steve for your company, advice and more in recent years To Andrew and Charles; Caroline and Jo To everyone at HarperCollins, including Michael, Tom, Jane and David, for their patience and support Particular thanks to my co-writer Tom, for jogging my memory and helping me find the words I needed To the team at Footwork and 19 Thanks for all the hard graft Thanks to all the coaches and managers, particularly Stuart Underwood, Malcolm Fidgeon, Eric Harrison, Sir Alex Ferguson and Sven-Goran Eriksson, who’ve lit up my time in the game we love: you have my gratitude, respect and admiration Thanks, as well, to all the great players I’ve been privileged to play alongside for Manchester United, Real Madrid and England Whatever I’ve done has only been possible because of the talent, commitment and inspiration of the other ten David Beckham August 2004 Copyright Tom Watt, who collaborated with David Beckham on this book, is an established author, actor, sportswriter and broadcaster First published in hardback 2003 by CollinsWillow an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers London First published in paperback 2004 © Footwork Productions Ltd 2004 FIRST EDITION All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books EPUB EDITION © APRIL 2010 ISBN: 978-0-007-37344-4 The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library The HarperCollins website address is www.harpercollins.co.uk About the Publisher Australia HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd 25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321) Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au Canada HarperCollins Canada Bloor Street East – 20th Floor Toronto, ON, M4W 1A8, Canada http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca New Zealand HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited P.O Box Auckland, New Zealand http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.nz United Kingdom HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 77-85 Fulham Palace Road London, W6 8JB, UK http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk United States HarperCollins Publishers Inc 10 East 53rd Street New York, NY 10022 http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com Table of Contents Cover Page Title Page Dedication The Back Garden, August 2004 Murdering the Flowerbeds The Man in the Brown Sierra Home from Home DB on the Tarmac The One with the Legs Don’t Cry for Me Thanks for Standing By Me I Do The Germans 10 My Foot in It 11 Beckham (pen) 12 Bubble Beckham 13 About Loyalty 14 United Born and Bred 15 For Real: Hala Madrid! 16 Futbol, La Vida 17 It’s Christmas 18 Let’s Face It Career Record Index Acknowledgements Copyright About the Publisher ...Davic Beckham: My Side David Beckham with Tom Watt To Victoria, Brooklyn and Romeo The three people who always make me smile My Babies Forever Love David Table of Contents Cover... got carried away by my goal up at Blackburn, or by anything else Personally, I still couldn’t quite believe I was playing for the first team I was just as excited by that as I was by scoring As... in Moraleja and what matters most in my life – in anybody’s life, surely – I can see in front of me I can put my arms around them right now: my wife and my two sons They’re what I’m here for