Series Review: "Beckham" (2023).

From the director of Palmer comes Beckham. This documentary film directed by Fisher Stevens. With never-before-seen footage, this docuseries follows David Beckham's meteoric rise from humble beginnings to global football stardom.

On May 2, 1975, English former professional footballer, David Robert Joseph Beckham was born. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending free-kicks as a right winger, Beckham has been hailed as one of the greatest and most recognisable midfielders of his generation, as well as one of the best set-piece specialists of all time. Due to his talent and achievements for both club and country, Beckham is additionally lauded as one of the greatest Manchester United footballers of all time, as well as one of the best English players in the history of the sport. He is the first English player to win league titles in four countries: England, Spain, the United States and France. In 1992, at age seventeen, Beckham's professional club career began with Manchester United, where he made his first-team debut. In 1999, with United, he won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice and the UEFA Champions League. He then played four seasons with Real Madrid, winning the La Liga championship in his final season with the club. In July 2007, Beckham signed a five-year contract with Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. While a Galaxy player, he spent two loan spells in Italy with AC Milan in 2009 and 2010. He was the first British footballer to play 100 UEFA Champions League games. In May 2013, he retired after a twenty-year career, during which he won nineteen major trophies. In international football, Beckham made his England debut on September 1, 1996, at the age of twenty-one. He was captain for six years, earning fifty-eight caps during his tenure. He made one-hundred and fifteen career appearances in total, appearing at three FIFA World Cup tournaments, in 1998, 2002 and 2006 and two UEFA European Championship tournaments, in 2000 and 2004. Until 2016, he held the England appearance record for an outfield player. A global ambassador of football, Beckham is considered to be a British cultural icon. In 1999, he was runner-up in the Ballon d'Or, twice runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year (1999 and 2001) and in 2004 was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. In 2008, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame, and the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2021. Since 2005, he has been a UNICEF ambassador since, and in 2015 he launched 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund. Beckham has consistently ranked among the highest earners in football, and in 2013 was listed as the highest-paid player in the world, having earned over $50 million in the previous twelve months. In 2014, MLS announced that Beckham and a group of investors would own Inter Miami, which began playing in 2020.

It’s vastly entertaining, taking you into the very fascinating world of Beckham's world, family and friends and even the tumultuous ups and downs of the football star's career and personal life.

Simon says Beckham receives:

Also, see my review for Palmer.