W A Y N E B A R T O N

Barton has an
encyclopaedic
knowledge and
passion for United
- telling stories in
fascinating detail.
James Robson,
Evening Standard

BECKHAM
THE MAKING OF A MEGASTAR
 Contents
Too Good to be True 7
Fated 18
Education 27
Winning Nothing, then Everything, with Kids 44
A Star is Born 63
Seven 79
Evita 92
Effigy 102
Naughty Boy 127
Practice Makes Perfect 167
Leaving Home Again 187
Galactico 213
Spotlight 225
Reputation 235
Out of the Wilderness 254
Top to Bottom 275
Impression 291
Vogue 301
The Beckham Redemption 327
The Sequel 343
One Last Challenge 350
Reinventing the Wheel 361
Epilogue 374
Acknowledgements 380
 Too Good to be True

MOST STORIES about a player signing for a club as a youngster

follow a similar pattern: a young lad is spotted by a scout whilst
playing for a local team; there is possibly some competition for
his signature and a decision to make. Maybe the story has a little
more flavour if some skulduggery is involved – incentives that
would be frowned upon today, and indeed would have been back
then if they had been made official or public. Sometimes it is the
identity of the scout, a legendary talent spotter – and goodness
knows, Manchester United had a few – who finds and identifies
a rare gem destined for greatness. David Beckham was not so
much discovered as he was served up by himself on a silver platter,
donned in the red, white and black of Manchester United.
This is not to say that his path to professional football was
remarkably different to that of any other aspiring young boy. The
things that in hindsight are seen as fated are probably not so
exceptional when considering what was normal at the time. David
Robert Joseph Beckham was born in Leytonstone, north-east
London, to Sandra and Ted on 2 May 1975 – his middle name
after one Bobby Charlton, the then-recently retired Manchester
United legend. This was because his father was a huge United fan.

7
 BECKHAM

According to Ted, young David was almost too good to be true:

never in trouble at school, the best at every ball sport. To the thrill of
his father, the son excelled at football, and loved it from the second
he was introduced to it. He also shared his love for Manchester
United, and the pair would go to see their team whenever they were
in the capital. When he was six, David went on a summer course
organised by Spurs legend Cliff Jones (Jones, incidentally, had been
one player the former Manchester United assistant manager Jimmy
Murphy had tried to sign when he was interim manager after the
Munich air disaster). He showed tremendous promise, earning the
‘top badge’ award for completing various drills better than other
young players who were ten years older.
David would accompany his father when he was playing for
semi-professional side Kingfisher. They trained at Wadham
Lodge, and the waif-like child found that the adults were happy
to allow him to play in five-a-sides – so long as he could take the
bumps that came with it.
The following year, Beckham was spotted playing on the park
across the road from his house – Chase Lane Park – by Stuart
Underwood, the coach of local youth team Ridgeway Rovers. Ted
recalled his son running home excitedly to tell him that a man
wanted him to try out for a youth team. An alternative recollection
of this story, presented here for completeness, was that David
attended a trial after an advertisement had been placed in the local
newspaper, the Walthamstow Guardian. It is long enough ago for
the specifics of the arrangement to be lost from memory, although
the coach was clearly left with a vivid impression.
‘He was a football nutcase,’ Underwood remembered in 2003.
‘His life was football. He wanted to be a pro aged seven … he
looked a professional from day one … he could hit the ball from
every corner of the pitch. His timing was incredible.’
Underwood was regarded as a ‘sergeant major’ type: a hard but
fair leader who was not shy in telling children as young as Beckham

8
 TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

was that they needed to improve, or that they’d had a bad game.
Ted was sometimes hesitant – like most reasonable parents, he
was not always comfortable with his son, who could be sensitive
to criticism, being scolded in front of other kids – but David was
in fact very responsive to the leadership. Perhaps that’s because,
despite the generation gap, there was a kindred spirit between him
and Underwood. David was a very tidy child, according to his
parents, and liked everything to be neat. Underwood was also a
stickler for the perfect preparation, be it ensuring the pitches were
good, or even demanding that the young players wear a shirt and
tie when turning up for an important game like a cup final. The
coach also instilled discipline: if a youngster was late for training
during the week, they wouldn’t be able to play at the weekend.
The high calibre of organisation provided the perfect platform for
young players to shine.
Ridgeway’s talented side were winning games handsomely; it
was a regular occurrence to hit double figures. Ted had joined the
coaching staff there, working alongside Underwood and assistant
coach Steve Kirby.
In the summer of 1985, after Manchester United had won the
FA Cup, David enrolled in the Bobby Charlton Soccer and Sports
Academy, attending for the residential summer classes after seeing
a feature for it on the television programme Blue Peter. The boy
who had grown up in a red-and-white kit did not initially take to
life in Manchester University’s halls of residence.
‘Mum and Dad came up and stayed with relatives near
Liverpool, and I was on the phone to them every evening,’
Beckham admitted. ‘I had toothache. I was homesick. And the
week just passed me by a little.’
Many children might have given up after such a setback.
David might not get his dream of playing for United, but getting a
chance to become a professional footballer was at least something
within the realms of possibility.

9
 BECKHAM

Local professional clubs like West Ham were sniffing

around the Ridgeway Rovers players, though the coaches such
as Underwood were advising that it was best for their collective
development to stay where they were to improve for the time
being. They did just that, but there was no doubting even at that
stage that there was one name which stood out. The present day
Ridgeway Rovers website boasts that over two years, Beckham
scored around 100 goals.
Ted and Sandra had been sufficiently tempted by the prospect
of West Ham to take David to watch a game there; however,
they too were sensible enough to not bite the first offer, taking
Stuart’s advice that offers would continue to be forthcoming. The
Hammers had offered ten-year-old David a trial.
No concrete decision was taken on his future, so Ridgeway
were blessed to retain his talents, but the talented young midfielder
did enjoy some training sessions at top London clubs like Arsenal,
and his maternal grandfather’s club, Tottenham Hotspur. With
David approaching his 11th birthday, it was decided that the time
was right to commit to a professional club, and so the names of
the fierce north London rivals were put into a hat. Thankfully for
the sake of family relations, Spurs were picked out, and he joined
their school of excellence.
In the summer after he turned 11, David went back to the
Bobby Charlton school in Manchester, desperate to make a better
impression. He did, excelling on all the skills courses through his
week, and advancing to the ‘Grand Final’ which was to be held
in Manchester in December 1986.
Ironically enough, on the weekend of this final, United were
entertaining Tottenham. In the morning, David had to go to
The Cliff, United’s famous training facility in Lower Broughton,
Salford. There was a competition in the indoor sports hall and
David won through, impressing with his short passing, ball-
juggling and target shooting.

10
 TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

‘In addition to his natural ability, David displayed a fantastic

work ethic and a great deal of determination, which meant he was
continually practising his individual skills,’ recalled Bryn Cooper,
the director of the courses. ‘It was clearly evident to the coaches
that David was completely focused on becoming a professional
footballer.’
The second part of the final was to be staged before the game
at Old Trafford, which was being aired live on the BBC.
Almost 36,000 supporters were in attendance to witness
a moment that would forever be remembered by the Beckham
family, although it passed without any significance to most who
were there.
‘He looked so tiny and the stadium seemed so enormous
around him,’ Ted recalls of seeing his son walk on to the Old
Trafford pitch for the very first time. Not for the last time, there
was a sense of occasion and dramatic tension, although on this
introductory stage, it came with the traditional pantomime feel
that football ‘banter’ often carries. Young David was introduced
as hailing from Leytonstone – cue cheers from the Tottenham
fans – before being revealed as a ‘massive United fan’ – prompting
a retaliatory roar from the home crowd.
What a galvanising lift for the young boy, who had already
shown such confidence in the morning’s event. The drills in this
portion of the event were dribbling and long passing. Of course,
in years to come, both of these skills would often be used in
different evaluations of David’s ability, but here he excelled at
both, winning the competition. The first reward seemed more
for Ted – the presentation of the award in the Europa Suite at
Old Trafford was by none other than Sir Bobby Charlton himself.
The prize, however, was definitely for David – two weeks training
with Barcelona at the Nou Camp, to take place in early 1987. The
youngster was more interested in watching his team play, however,
and settled down to witness a frenetic 3–3 draw, as the first few

11
 BECKHAM

weeks of Alex Ferguson’s era as manager continued to be bumpy.

David’s heroes were Gordon Strachan – he modelled his hairstyle
after him – and Bryan Robson. Both were influential as the home
team stormed to a 2–0 lead, but Spurs turned it around in the
second period, and looked set to win 3–2 before Peter Davenport
levelled with two minutes left. (Incidentally, on the Spurs team
that afternoon was one Glenn Hoddle.)
Barcelona were capturing the attention of the British press
due to the fact they had Terry Venables and Gary Lineker as
manager and star striker respectively. They also had the attention
of the Beckham family thanks to the presence of former United
striker Mark Hughes. David travelled with two other winners
– aged 15 and 19 – and Ray Whelan, from the soccer school.
They stayed in a converted farmhouse in the Catalan club’s La
Masia complex. It was an education on and off the pitch for the
young Londoner, who described the training as ‘amazing’, but
also recalled some of the older boys whistling at prostitutes who
were walking around the other side of the railings on the training
ground. ‘The football was an experience,’ Beckham later said.
‘And so was the rest of it.’
Despite this heady experience, the youngster did not forget his
roots, and initially had reservations about going to Spain at all.
Ridgeway Rovers had a cup final against Forest United on the
middle Saturday of the planned trip. To top it off, the game was
being played at White Hart Lane. David was desperate to play in
it. His grandfather, Joe, the Spurs fanatic, was as well. So much
so that he paid for a flight to get his grandson from and back to
Spain to play in the game. (Incidentally, Joe had also paid the
£130 registration fee for the Charlton soccer school.) Ridgeway
lost 2–1: no fairy-tale ending this time.
The mid-trip break did nothing to make his Spanish hosts
think any less of him. Venables, in fact, could not have sung
David’s praises any higher. ‘I knew from the first time I saw him

12
 TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

that David Beckham would be something special,’ Venables said.

‘The way he looked, the way he played and the way he conducted
himself on the training pitch around international stars. Becks,
then ten, came over to our training ground as part of his prize
for winning a competition run by Bobby’s soccer school. He
had apparently been his star pupil in the half-term and summer
holidays training camp – and when he arrived at our training
base it was not difficult to see why. A quiet lad, we showed him
around and posed for the usual photos. Then he watched us train
and we invited him to take part in a couple of sessions. Blimey.
He raised a few eyebrows that day. I must have watched thousands
of kids in my time but as we said goodbye I made sure I would
not forget his name.’
The same could be said for Manchester United, who had
apparently now got the hint, and had their London scout Malcolm
Fidgeon watching Beckham more closely. United would invite
the Beckham family to attend some of their London games, and
to spend time around the squad at the hotel. David would arrive
with gifts for his heroes – hair gel for Gordon Strachan, a pen
for Alex Ferguson. Ferguson took the pen and informed the boy
he would one day use it to sign him for the club. David had been
invited to train in Manchester during school holidays.
In late October 1987, United were down in London at West
Ham. Fidgeon informed the Beckham family that they had been
invited to dinner with Alex Ferguson the night before the game
at the team hotel. The manager told the boy to go and get the
autographs of his heroes, who were all eating on nearby tables.
David was invited to be the team mascot for the game and was
even able to kick the ball around with the likes of Bryan Robson
and Gordon Strachan. When the game started, Ferguson insisted
that the young boy should sit next to him for the duration of the
game. The game was live on ITV, a fine memory for the family
to look back on.

13
 BECKHAM

Now his name was becoming more prominently known around

the soccer circuit. The precocious 12-year-old was coveted by
many clubs, with some more keen than others to take a chance
and snap him up before someone else came in. Norwich City
were one. Then-Canaries manager Kit Carson recalled observing
the young midfielder at close quarters, describing him as ‘highly
professional’. ‘We all thought he was a brilliant person and polite
and thoughtful,’ Carson said. ‘He was always clean and smart on
and off the ball and asked questions and listened. At the end of
the week I knew that David was exactly the type of boy we wanted
in our very successful youth policy at Norwich City.’
David, however, said no to going back. He rejected a trial at
Nottingham Forest, concerned that it took place during a week
when he was supposed to be training at United. He was still able
to play for Ridgeway, and his school team at Chingford High,
and consequently for the district side for Waltham Forest, also
representing the Essex county side. David likened being selected
for Waltham Forest to being picked for England.
At county level, David was coached by a man by the name
of Martin Heather, a contrasting character: well-spoken and
studious, so when he was stern, you knew he meant it. It was with
Heather that a young David went over to play in the Dallas Cup,
a prestigious but rarely acknowledged world youth competition
in Texas which had recently seen former Queens Park Rangers
and Millwall boss Gordon Jago join its board. The Dallas Cup
welcomed teams from all over the world, and in later years, clubs
like Manchester United would send junior sides over and introduce
them to working with the media as part of some early-stage
development in the early 1990s. This was a unique tournament:
the organising committee also operated a homestay programme
where visiting players could stay with volunteer families whilst
they were in Dallas. David stayed with a Mexican family and
enjoyed McDonald’s ‘for breakfast every morning’.

14
 TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

He returned from the US with a renewed focus to sign

schoolboy terms with a professional club. The dream remained
to sign for United, but there was a realistic alternative in Spurs. It
would not have been a dreadful scenario. David enjoyed training
there and had a good relationship with the youth development
officer, John Moncur. When new Tottenham boss Terry Venables
was discussing prospects with Moncur, he was delighted to discover
that the boy who had impressed him in Spain was a candidate.
David remembered John introducing him and his parents
to Terry for a meeting just before his birthday, where it was
more or less straightforward that Spurs would offer terms. First
impressions clearly count for a lot: Terry asked John what he ‘had
to say about this young lad’, and the Beckhams got the distinct
impression that the Spurs manager was not as familiar with the
youngster as they had hoped. And definitely not as familiar with
him as Alex Ferguson at Manchester United seemed to be.
‘I got the impression that, although I’d been training at Spurs
for a couple of years, the manager didn’t really have any idea who
I was,’ Beckham recalled. ‘I couldn’t help thinking about the
times I’d been up to Manchester. Alex Ferguson knew all about
me. He knew all about every single boy. He knew their parents,
he knew their brothers and sisters. That seemed important to
me. Important for my future. It always felt like you were part of
a family at United.’
If Venables seemed aloof, well, that certainly was not the case
when it came to the offer on the table from the club. It was, in
effect, a six-year proposal offered by Tottenham. Two years as a
schoolboy, two years on the Youth Training Scheme apprentice
programme and two years on a professional contract. There was
also the promise of a signing-on fee of at least £70,000. ‘I could
buy a Porsche,’ Beckham remembered thinking, but he showed
a calmness that belied the situation by asking for time to think
about it.

15
 BECKHAM

His head had been turned by the promise from Ferguson that
he would be signed for United, and there was a meeting scheduled
for around three weeks later at Old Trafford. That meeting took
place on 9 May 1988, one week after David turned 13.
In his first full season, Ferguson had steered United to second
place in the First Division. A comfortable second – not close
enough to challenge Liverpool, but too far in front of Nottingham
Forest to be frightened about dropping down a position. A run of
eight draws from the first 15 games had really hampered serious
talk of title ambitions, but United had finished with seven wins
from their last eight, including the end-of-season game that the
Beckham family attended against Wimbledon.
When they arrived at Old Trafford, Ferguson left the team,
who were having lunch, to greet the family and to tell them he
would see them after the match. Who is to know how events
might have transpired if Spurs had shown the sort of personal
touch that United showed? On the drive to Manchester, Ted had
discussed with his son the various options, and urged him to think
long and hard about the security of the offer in London.
He needn’t have worried. United showed just as much com­
mitment to his son’s future as Spurs were willing to. In addition
to the red carpet, it made for a memorable day. At 5.30pm, around
half an hour after the game had ended, Joe Brown, United’s youth
development officer, took the family to the manager’s office. Also
present was Malcolm Fidgeon, the London headteacher and United
scout who had driven David to and from his training sessions in
Manchester. Les Kershaw, one of the senior scouts, was there. To
make the boy feel more at ease, Ferguson remarked that he felt
David had enjoyed a growth spurt since they’d last met, though
he joked that he didn’t like his new spiky haircut. The discussion
became more formal as Ferguson sat at his desk.
‘He has everything it takes to become a United player,’ he said
to Sandra and Ted, ‘and everything it takes to become a United

16
 TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

legend. We’ve kept a dossier on him for the last couple of years.
He’s an incredible player who we believe is getting better and
better. He’s a credit to you. He has everything we’re looking for
and we want him to become a Manchester United player.’
The manager then said he was offering ‘two, two and two’:
the same structure as Spurs. Ted asked his son what he wanted to
do. ‘I want to sign,’ David said. And, using the same pen he had
given Ferguson as a gift, he did just that.

17