David Beckham: the sportsman whose popularity went further than sports

S ports have given us some of the world's biggest celebrities, but if there is one sportsman who shines above all the others that is, of course, David Beckham. Like many other sports stars, David started obsessing over football when he was just a little boy and his father was the biggest Manchester United fan out there. He started being able to play football as soon as he was able to stand on his two feet, and we all know how far he got as a footballer during the years he played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy and, of course, for the England National team. As popular as he was for his skills back in 1996, it wasn't until one year later when he started becoming the massive celebrity he still is today. And there is one very obvious reason why this happened when it happened. Remember about the Spice Girls? Of course you do. They are, still to this day, the biggest girl band the world has ever seen. Well, meeting Victoria, also known as Posh Spice, after a Manchester United fan, was the beginning of his insane celebrity. The two started being photographed as soon as their romance was made public and the madness reached a new peak when the sports star and the Spice Girl tied the know in Ireland on the 4th of July of 1999, after their first son, Brooklyn, had already been born. That is the period when David Beckham became as famous for his different hairstyles as he was for his skills in sports. The world went crazy over his image and you could see literally hundreds of wannabes (no pun intended) walking around the streets. When he joined Real Madrid in 2003, his fame increased, making him one of the most recognisably and loved faces in the world. Sadly, he gave up on football a couple of years ago, but various deals with extremely important brands such as Armani and H&M are making sure no one forgets about the superstar that is, and will always be, David Beckham. [Photo: sportstory.it]