English legend, fashion guru and family man
Just a week after Sir Alex Ferguson announced his decision to retire, the most famous of "Fergie’s Fledglings", David Beckham, revealed that he was to hang up his boots at the end of the 2012-13 season, aged 38.
Beckham, who has enjoyed a glittering playing career, bows out at the highest level, with a four-month stint at Paris Saint-Germain proving to be his swansong.
Fittingly, the former England captain managed to add one more winners’ medal to his collection in that time, making nine appearances to help PSG win the French Ligue 1 title for the first time since 1994.
But when PSG signed Beckham in January, they did so more for the value he could bring off the field than on it — he is someone who has carefully nurtured his public image ever since his days as a fresh-faced youngster at Manchester United.
Proud family man, fashion guru, friend of A-list celebrities and politicians — even gay icon — the 38-year-old midfielder is as much known for his activities off the pitch as his pinpoint passing and deadly free-kicks on it.
Beckham has risen from a modest background in Leytonstone, east London, to become one of the most marketable figures in world sport, aided by a high-profile marriage to former Spice Girl, turned fashion designer, Victoria Adams.
As a talented youngster, he declined to sign with his local side Tottenham Hotspur and instead joined Manchester United, becoming the heart of the side.
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