Simply Abu Dhabi XI

5 8 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I D avid Beckham is one of those celebrities that is universally admired and adored. At a point in his career, Beckham’s image and brand power went galactic – he went from being the face on the walls of football fans in the UK, to the superstar seen on billboards all over the world. A global brand ambassador for huge companies, with a famous wife and A-list best friends like Tom Cruise and Will Smith, David Beckhamhad all the superstar requisites. Yet there is much more to David Beckham than all the sensational glamour and glitz. There is real substance and ability behind the style. Beckham is one of Great Britain’s most iconic sportsmen. Widely regarded as amongst the best football players of all time, he is also the most capped outfield player in the history of the English game. His career began at the ubiquitous Manchester United, Football Club, where he made his first-teamdebut in 1992 aged 17. During his time there, Manchester United won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice and the UEFA Champions League and the World Club Championship in 1999. In 2003, Beckham joined Real Madrid, where he played for four seasons. While at Madrid, Beckham became the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches and, in his final season, Real clinched the 2006-07 La Liga championship title. In 2007, Beckhammoved to LAGalaxy in the United States for a record breaking five-year deal and he has also played for ACMilan. Beckham recently signed a five-month deal with Paris SaintGermain andhe has also been appointed as a global ambassador by the Chinese Football Association. Beckham has forged an incredible career with many more achievements and commitments outside of the world of sport. He is a passionate supporter of charitable work and has supported UNICEF since his days at Manchester United and he is also on the Leadership Council for the Malaria No More charity. Born in the East End of London, Beckhamwas a passionate supporter of the London 2012 Olympic Games, helping to secure the Olympic Games for his home city before working as an ambassador for the event. When Beckham was a young boy at school, his teachers would ask what he wanted to do when he was older, and Beckham would always reply, “I want to be a footballer.” The teachers would ask again, looking for something realistic, but as Beckham knew then, “It was the only thing I ever wanted to do.” It’s to the game’s good fortune that he stuck to his dreams.