Beckham, who is 26, was born in Leytonstone, in Essex, just north east of London. As a schoolboy, his footballing talents were quickly recognised. As a teenager he represented the county of Essex, and also attended Tottenham Hotspur's school of excellence.
   On July 8th 1991 he signed up as a trainee with Manchester United, one of England's most famous football clubs. The next year, he helped the "Man U" youth team to win the FA Youth Cup, scoring a goal in the second leg of the final against Crystal Palace. He was also selected for the England youth team.
   His first short experience with the real Manchester United team came in September 1992, when he came on as a substitute in a match against Brighton; but it was not until 1995, when he was almost 20, that he first played a full part in the Man U squad. His first "Premier League" match for Manchester came on April 2nd 1995, and in September, at the start of the following season, he gained a permanent place in the first team.
   A year later, in September 1996, he played his first match with the England senior team, and his reputation began to grow. That year, Manchester United reached the semi finals of the UEFA Champions League, and also won the English premiership title; as for Beckham, he was voted "young player of the year" in England.
   Nevertheless his life has not been one continuous success story. During the 1998 World Cup Finals, he was left out of the England team during the first two matches; and later, during a match against Argentina (during which the English team was knocked out), Beckham received a red card, for a foul on Diego Simeone.
   After that, things however got better, and "Becks" became even more of a public figure in 1999, when he married "Posh Spice". The same year, he helped Manchester United to their amazing treble, when the club won the English Premiership, the FA Cup (the top English football cup), and the European Cup! That year, he also came second in the World Footballer of the Year awards.
   During last season, Beckham eventually reached the higest footballing position in England, captain of the national team.

   Later this year, as football mania breaks out all over the world, Beckham will probably be one of the stars of the show, during the 2002 World Cup finals; but he will not have an easy job!
   At present , England is not one of the favourites to win this competition; indeed, they will find it hard to reach the final sixteen. The group in which they will play their first matches is very strong, being made up of England, Argentina, Sweden and Nigeria ! The match against Argentina will be particularly hard. At present Argentina are favourites; furthermore they beat England in the 1986 quarter finals, and it was against Argentina that Beckham got his red card in 1998! Beckham will have plenty to think about when he leads the team out onto the field for their match against Argentina in Sapporo, Japan, on 7th June. 
   In the meantime, he doubtless has other things to think about; like his future with Manchester United. Although his club insist that Becks is not for sale, rumours of a tranfer continue to fly.
   In the world of football, few things are certain; but this year there is one thing that is quite certain. In the coming months, David Beckham is going to be in the news quite a lot more than usual.
 

Beckham, with his Sports Personality of the Year Prize.
 

The Victorious Manchester United team in 1999.

Photos London Press Service

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True or false:
Which of these statements are true, and which are false, according to the article:

1. Beckham has twice come second in the World Footballer of the Year award. T/F

2. Employees of the BBC selected Beckham as Sports Personality of the Year. T/F

3. Beckham has always lived in Manchester. T/F

4. Beckham once played in the England Youth team. T/F

5. Beckham has been a member of Manchester United's first team since 1995. T/F

6. Beckham has played for the England team in every match since September 1996. T/F

7. Manchester United won three important cups in 1999. T/F

8. England will have to play against Sweden and Japan later this year. T/F

9. Beckham plans to leave Manchester United later this year. T/F

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Interview....
Imagine that you recently interviewed David Beckham. Here are Beckham's answers; what were your questions? Use the prompts given.

You: Mr. Beckham, where....

Beckham: In Leytonstone.

You: Did .....

Beckham: Yes of course, I've always loved the game!

You: What ....

Beckham: Manchester United, of course!

You: How....

Beckham: Eleven years.

You: Did ...

Beckham: Yes of course. I played for the Essex youth team, among others.

You: Which ...

Beckham: Oh! A difficult question!! I love them both!

You: Do you ....

Beckham: Win? Well I hope we'll win, of course. But who knows! Nothing is impossible! But it won't be easy.

You: Have you ...

Beckham: No, not yet! But I'll stop one day.

You: And finally, how many .....

Beckham: Oh I really don't know. More than I can remember, that's certain!

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