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A boyhood Cockney red, David Beckham leaves London aged 14 to try to make the grade with Manchester United

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One of 'Fergie's Fledglings', he becomes a mainstay of the side that dominates English football in the Nineties

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Beckham's profile is boosted by several lucrative endorsements and his relationship with former Spice Girl Victoria Adams

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The midfielder is pilloried by fans and press alike after his sending off against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup

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But Beckham answers his critics by helping Man Utd secure a historic Treble the following season

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Beckham's marriage to Adams makes him one half of the most famous celebrity couple in Britain - Posh and Becks

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By now England captain, he seals qualification for the 2002 World Cup with a superb last-gasp free-kick against Greece

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After breaking his foot in March 2002, Beckham recovers just in time to fly out to the Far East for the World Cup

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Beckham completes his transformation from pariah to national hero by scoring the winner against Argentina in Japan

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Becks' relationship with Alex Ferguson is strained after a dressing room altercation which sparks rumours of a summer transfer

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Beckham becomes a major transfer target in summer 2003 as new Barcelona president Joan Laporta bids to tempt him to Nou Camp

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But fresh from a family holiday to the USA, Beckham signs for Barca's Spanish rivals Real Madrid in a �25m deal