15 photos show David Beckham's amazing soccer career through the years

Despite being raised in London, Beckham grew up a Manchester United fan.

As a youngster, he attended one of Bobby Charlton's Soccer Schools in Manchester and had trials with Tottenham Hotspur.

In 1991, aged 14, Beckham signed with United's youth team, where he would go on to play alongside the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, and Gary and Phil Neville.

After an impressive few seasons with United's youth team, Beckham was handed his first team debut by manager Sir Alex Ferguson on September 23, 1992.

Then 17, Beckham came on as a late substitute as United drew 1-1 with Brighton & Hove Albion in the League Cup.

In January 1993, Beckham then signed with United as a professional.

Following a brief spell on loan with Preston North End for part of the 1994/95 season, Beckham returned to United and swiftly established himself as a first-team regular.

In the 1995/96 season, Beckham helped United win both the Premier League and FA Cup.

Beckham was then called up by England for the first time, making his Three Lions debut in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Moldova in September 1996.

Playing against Wimbledon on the opening day of the 1996/97 season, Beckham famously hit a shot from the halfway line — 57 yards out — that floated over goalkeeper Neil Sullivan and into the goal.

It was later ranked as the Premier League goal of the decade by The Telegraph.

Come the end of the season, Beckham was voted as the PFA Young Player of the Year as United won the title again.

Now one of the most established young stars in the Premier League, the 1998 World Cup was supposed to be Beckham's chance to show the entire world what he was capable of.

Sadly, however, things didn't exactly go to plan.

In the second round against Argentina, Beckham received a red card after kicking Diego Simeone while the latter was lying on the floor.

Argentina would go on to win the game on penalties, eliminating England.

"This is without doubt the worst moment of my career," Beckham said in a statement after England's early exit. "I will always regret my actions. I have apologized to the England players and management and I want every England supporter to know how deeply sorry I am."

In the 1998/1999 season, Beckham was a key figure for Manchester United as Ferguson's team won the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Champions League.

United had been losing the Champions League final 1-0 to Bayern Munich after 90 minutes, but scored two goals in added time to win. Both goals came from corners taken by Beckham.

In the wake of Beckham's red card at the 1998 World Cup, the midfielder was blamed by fans and journalists for England's early exit.

Beckham made amends in October 2001, however, when he scored a late free-kick against Greece in England's final qualifying game ahead of the 2002 World Cup, earning the Three Lions a draw and ensuring they qualified for the tournament.

Beckham and Ferguson's relationship had begun to deteriorate as early as 2000 amid Beckham's rising fame off the pitch.

Things came to a head between the two in February 2003 following an FA Cup defeat to Arsenal.

After the loss, a furious Ferguson kicked a boot that struck Beckham, who at this time was no longer a regular starter for the club, above the eye, causing a cut that required stitches.

In June 2003, Beckham left United to become Real Madrid's latest "Galáctico," joining the Spanish giants for a fee of $41 million.

He left United having made just shy of 400 appearances for the club, scoring 85 goals and winning six Premier League titles.

Despite boasting a squad of superstars like Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, and, of course, Beckham, Real didn't manage to win La Liga until the last of Beckham's four seasons at the club.

Reflecting on his time in Spain in May 2020, Beckham said: "The four years I spent at Real Madrid were among the most beautiful and important spells of my career."

"The relationship with the fans, getting the chance to walk out into the Bernabéu and play in one of the greatest stadiums in the world of football," he added. "I have very fond memories of that time."

Midway through his final, title-winning season at Real, it was announced that Beckham would be leaving the club at the end of the campaign to join MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy.

Though Real later tried to reverse the agreement after they won the title, Beckham's move stateside was completed in July 2007.

The deal was momentous not only for the MLS, which saw a huge spike in interest and revenue as a result, but also for Beckham as it included a unique clause that would allow him to buy an MLS expansion franchise for a fixed price of $25 million whenever he stopped playing in the league.

He would later exercise that clause to launch Inter Miami, which is now the home of seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi.

In six seasons with the Galaxy, Beckham made a total of 118 appearances, scoring 20 goals.

In his final two seasons, he guided the club to back-to-back MLS Cups for the first time in its history.

With the regular MLS season running from February or early March through to mid-October, Beckham moved on loan to AC Milan for part of both the 2008/09 and 2009/10 seasons.

Some fans were skeptical that Milan's move for Beckham, 33, was only a marketing move, but Beckham would prove the doubters wrong, establishing himself as a key figure in Milan's star-studded midfield that included the likes of Ronaldinho, Kaka, and Clarence Seedorf.

"For him, the doors of Milan are always open," Milan's vice president Adriano Galliani said of Beckham after his second loan spell at the club came to an end in 2010.

"Beckham is marvelous for the six months he is with us and for the six months he is not with us," he added. "I am more than happy to open the doors of Milan in July or January or at any time whenever he wants. He is a fantastic man and player. You should see him in training."

Beckham made his final appearance for England on October 14, 2009, in a 3-0 win over Belarus.

He retired from the national team with 115 caps to his name — the second most in the team's history at the time.

After leaving LA Galaxy at the end of the 2012 MLS campaign, Beckham joined Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent in January 2013.

Beckham helped PSG win the Ligue 1 title before announcing he would retire from professional soccer at the end of the season.

For his final ever game, the 38-year-old player was given Union Jack-themed boots with the names of his wife and children stitched on to them and made PSG's captain. After assisting a goal, Beckham was subbed off, receiving hugs from his teammates and manager, as well as a standing ovation from the crowd.

He cried as he left the field.

At the final whistle, Beckham's fellow PSG players formed a circle around him and tossed him into the air in celebration.