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David Beckham, simply put, is one of the most famous men on the planet. Such is the level of fame he has achieved, transcending his profile as a mere former footballer and becoming a bonafide A-list celebrity.
Thanks largely to his undeniably handsome good looks, Beckham has become insanely well-known, rich and sought after for things like advertising and interviews. Having seen out a senior professional football career that saw him play for the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid, L.A. Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint Germain (as well as for England at international level), he has now delved into various other non-sporting ventures.
But what is there to know about the superstar that isn't immediately known by everybody? That's what this article is all about! Here are 10 things you probably didn't know about David Beckham:
10. He Has Terrible OCD Issues
Millions of women (and some men) around the world would love to live with Beckham - but they might change that opinion when they realise that he suffers terribly from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Beckham's OCD is that everything in his life has to be in perfect order - in his case, preferably in pairs - which must surely get incredibly annoying very fast for the likes of his wife Victoria Beckham and the couple's four children. He can't settle until everything is perfect - although we have to assume that this devotion to perfection has contributed greatly to his success as a footballer and businessman, which can't be a bad thing.
9. One Of His Tattoos Is Spelled Wrong
Beckham has a very distinctive look and makes a point of being trendy - and this extends to having had many tattoos over the years. The latest estimate is that Beckham has around 40 examples of such body art - ranging from his children's names to the number 23 he wore as a footballer at the likes of Real Madrid.
However, one of them - one that is unfortunately devoted to his beloved wife - is actually embarrassingly spelled incorrectly! Beckham has "Victoria" written in Sanskrit, but the actual translation turned out to be "Vihctoria." Oh dear, David.
8. He's Not Done With Babies Yet
As previously touched upon, Beckham and his wife Victoria currently have four children - the last of whom was born more than four years ago - so you'd be forgiven for thinking the couple were done with reproducing! Brooklyn Joseph was born in 1999 in London, Romeo James was born in 2002 in London, Cruz David was born in 2005 in Madrid and Harper Seven was born in 2011 in Los Angeles.
However, David hasn't ruled out having more. In an interview with Jonathan Ross on UK television when Harper, the youngest Beckham child was seven months old, he said "We might have one more or two more, you never know. We’re not thinking about it yet, but if it happens, great. We’re enjoying the kids as it is. It’s always a thought."
7. He Cries At Certain Movies & TV Shows
Beckham might be considered to be the pinnacle of masculinity by many people, but the fact is that he can be reduced to a bubbling, sobbing wreck by certain television shows and movies - and it's not necessarily the ones you'd expect anyone to cry over.
In an interview with BBC Radio One's Nick Grimshaw back in 2013, Beckham admitted that Bruce Willis' movie Armageddon gets him every time - which makes sense, as it's an emotional story - but he then went on to say that television shows like Friends and The Office make him cry too! What a big baby!
6. He Has A LIFETIME Contract With Adidas
David Beckham is extremely sought after when it comes to companies wanting him to endorse their products. That's nothing new - countless celebrities are utilised in such a manner - but Beckham is seen as so important to Adidas that the sports company has given him a LIFETIME contract worth around $160 million.
Of course, Adidas isn't the only company that Beckham has put his name to. Some other endorsement contracts that the former football star has signed include the likes of Armani, Diet Coke, Burger King and Samsung - the latter of which earned him $27.7 million in 2012 alone.
5. He's Done Some Acting
Like a number of sports stars throughout the years (Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Dan Marino, Pele and... Stan Collymore, for example), David Beckham has dabbled in the world of acting - although he'd probably be the first to admit that it's hardly his strongest skill!
He appeared in an Only Fools and Horses sketch for Sport Relief, while he cameoed in the likes of The Man From UNCLE and Goal! and he has appeared in a number of movie shorts. Acting is something he'd like to pursue in the future and he is set to appear in Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur in 2017.
4. Victoria Punched Him
Back in 2004, the British tabloid News of the World carried claims by Beckham's former personal assistant Rebecca Loos that he and Loos had an extramarital affair. Since then, there have been a number of occasions on which the former footballer has been accused of cheating on his wife Victoria - all of which he flatly denies.
But Victoria was so upset by some of these claims of infidelity that she actually punched him! An extract from her autobiography explains how she "went berserk" and caused him to bleed from his face. In fact, the pair were both so upset by the event that they actually contemplated suicide.
3. He Has An Abundance Of Celebrity Friends
In spite of the fact that David Beckham started out in the world of football, he has become a bonafide A-list celebrity and, as a result, he has amassed an abundance of celebrity friends.
This was never more evident than when he arrived in California to play for L.A. Galaxy and Tom Cruise hosted a welcome party for him and his family, with guests including the likes of Steven Spielberg, Jim Carrey, Will Smith, and Oprah Winfrey. Moreover, Elton John is godfather to Brooklyn and Romeo Beckham and their godmother is Elizabeth Hurley.
2. His Incredible Charity Work
It is fairly well-known that David Beckham does a lot of work for charity, but the lengths he goes to in order to do such work is actually quite extraordinary. For starters, he and his wife have their own charity - Victoria and David Beckham Charitable Trust - which helps sick and disabled children, but he is also a patron and advocate for countless others.
These include the likes of UNICEF, Comic Relief, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Red Cross, Sport Relief, Help For Heroes, WildAid and many more. Beckham even donated his final wages as a professional footballer - when he played for Paris Saint Germain - entirely to charity.
1. He's Had Voice Coaching
Quite famously - particularly in the early days of his fame - David Beckham had a very squeaky and high-pitched voice. He was also quite "common" sounding. While he still doesn't exactly sound like Sean Connery, that squeakiness and commonness has noticeably decreased over the years - and that's actually down to voice coaching!
Beckham and his wife hired a voice coach to give him elocution lessons that both deepened his voice and generally made him talk more eloquently - for example, he now pronounces the "H" at the beginning of words that begin with said letter. Well, he could hardly be married to someone whose nickname is "Posh" and talk like a commoner, could he?!
Sources: Wikipedia, CelebrityFunFacts, IMDB
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