When David Beckham was a boy in London, England, he was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. "A famous footballer," he said. Not just a footballer, mind you, a famous one.
Today, the Real Madrid midfielder is the most famous soccer player, and one of the most famous athletes, in the world. His wife, Victoria, is a pop star who performed with the Spice Girls. His signature free kicks were made famous by the hit movie Bend It Like Beckham. Around the globe, it's hard to read a gossip column or turn on TV without Beckham.
But the glitz1 and glamour2 disappear when Beckham takes the field. He doesn't score dozens of goals or show off with fancy3 footwork4. Instead, he is perhaps the most famous role player ever. That suits Beckham just fine—as long as his teams keep on winning.
Worker "B"
“Free kicks, corner kicks, maybe a long pass, that's my game.” says Beckham.
To the casual soccer fan, that may not sound exciting. Even George Best, a legendary former player, dismissed him. “He can't kick with his left foot, he doesn't score many goals, he can't head the ball,” said Best. “Apart from that, he's all right.”
So what's the fuss about? Well, there's his defense. Beckham regularly puts his body in harm's way to snuff out5 an opponent's scoring drive. His goals, though rare, seem to come when his team needs them most, such as the one that sent England to the 2002 World Cup. Above all, he does any job, big or small, that will make his team better.
“When we have the ball, he's always getting open,” says goalkeeper Iker Casillas, Beckham's Real Madrid teammate. “When we don't have the ball, he's working to get it back. He puts the team first.”
Beckham doesn't have blazing6 speed or elusive7 moves, but he makes up for8 those shortcomings for hard work. “Obviously, I have a certain amount of talent, but I've always worked very hard to get where I am,” says Beckham. “For example, I'm quite good at taking free kicks, but I practice them all the time. You need to practice to strengthen your weakness and maintain your strengths.”
Growing Up Beckham
Soccer is the only thing Beckham ever wanted to do. “I had no other career choice,” he says. “The buzz9 I get from playing football remains the same as it was when I was a kid growing up in the [working-class] East End of London.”
In 1991, at age 16, Beckham signed a contract with Manchester United, the team he had grown up rooting for10. Beckham quickly made his mark11 with his aggressive defense and precise crossing passes.
Beckham led the team to six English Premier League championships (1996-97, 1999-01, 2003), two Football Association Cups (1996, 1999)— in which hundreds of teams from all over England compete—and one title in the European Champions League (1999)—a tournament among teams from Europe's top soccer leagues.
Beckham has also showcased12 his talents as the captain of England's national team. In a make-or-break13 qualifying game for the 2002 World Cup, England trailed14 Greece 2-1. Beckham's teammate, Teddy Sheringham, was fouled, setting up a free kick more than 20 yards from the goal. Beckham, who normally took England's free kicks, had been off-target on earlier attempts, so Sheringham offered to take the kick. But Beckham waved him off and then booted15 a long, curving shot that cleared the defenders' heads before dipping into the net. The goal gave England a spot in the World Cup, where it advanced to the quarterfinals, and made Beckham a hero.
Keeping It Real
Beckham wants to achieve similar success with Real Madrid. When he signed with the team on June 17, 2003, he joined a team that included superstars Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, and Ronaldo. It was a “Dream Team,” similar to the 2003-04 Los Angels Lakers with Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton, and Karl Malone.
But much like the Lakers, Real has failed to dominate16. It finished in fourth place in 2003-04. This season, Real was in fifth place, as of January 5. But Beckham isn't giving up.
“I want to be the best in everything I do. Whether it's for Real Madrid or England, I want to play for the best, do the best.”
If Beckham's past is any indication17 ,we look for Real Madrid to be the best very soon.
贝克汉姆小的时候在英国伦敦，有人问他长大了做一个什么样的人，他回答说，“做个大名鼎鼎的足球运动员。”读者听好了，不是一般的足球运动员，而是著名的。
目前，贝克汉姆在西班牙皇家马德里队司职中场，他是世界上名气最大的足球选手，也是世界上最有名的运动员之一。他的妻子维多利亚是流行音乐明星，曾经在英国“辣妹子”组合里唱歌。任意球是贝克汉姆的看家本领，随着热门影片《我爱贝克汉姆》的放映而人人皆知。在全球的每个角落，只要你翻开报刊杂志看看里头的花边新闻，或者打开电视，你看不到贝克汉姆就奇怪了。
但是，一走上球场，人们就看不到这些笼罩在贝克汉姆身上的炫目光环了，他没有一连串地进球，也没有炫耀自己花哨的步法。相反，他可能是有史以来最有名的模范球员。但这很适合贝克汉姆——只要他的球队不断赢球就够了。
醉心工作的“小贝”
“任意球、角球，也许还来一个长传，我就是这么踢球的。”贝克汉姆说。
对一个不太热心的球迷来说，这听起来也许没有多大意思。甚至已退役的传奇球员乔治·贝斯特对他也不太看好，“他左脚不会踢球，进球不多，不会头球。除了这些外，他还是不错的。”
所以干吗要小题大做呢？那么，就让我来告诉你。贝克汉姆常常奋不顾身堵截对手直抵球门的进攻；尽管他进球不多，但往往是在最关键的时候，比如就是靠他的一颗进球英格兰队才得以进入2002年世界杯赛。另外，事无巨细，他都亲自去做，这使他的球队更加出色。
皇马守门员、队友卡西利亚斯这样评价贝克汉姆：“当我们控球的时候，他总是积极跑位摆脱对方的防守，而当对方控球的时候，他积极拼抢争夺足球，他把球队的利益放在第一位。”
贝克汉姆没有令人目眩的速度，没有诡秘的动作，他刻苦努力，去弥补这些不足。“显然，我是有一些才干，但我总是靠勤奋来获得我现在所拥有的一切，”贝克汉姆说。“比如，我任意球非常好，可我还是不停地练习它。要克服弱点、保持优点，你就要训练。”
成长中的贝哥
贝克汉姆从小就一门心思只想踢足球。“我没有其他的职业选择，”他说。“踢足球时，我沉醉、快乐，现在如此，小时候在伦敦东区也是这样生活、成长的。”
1991年，贝克汉姆16岁，他梦想成真，签约成了曼联队的一员。这是他从小就支持的一支球队。很快，贝克汉姆凭借积极的防守和精准的横传球而名声大噪。
贝克汉姆率领自己的球队获得了6个英格兰联赛冠军（1996-97，1999-01，2003），两个足总杯冠军（1996，1999），一个欧洲冠军联赛冠军（1999）。
贝克汉姆担任英格兰国家队队长的时候，也充分展示了自己的才华。在2002年世界杯预选赛一场决定资格的比赛中，英格兰2：1落后于希腊队。对方在队友谢林汉姆的身上犯规，英格兰队获得一个离球门20码的任意球机会。通常是贝克汉姆发任意球，可那场比赛他几个任意球都打偏了，因此谢林汉姆提出要自己发这个任意球。贝克汉姆摆摆手示意谢林汉姆让开，然后一脚踢出一个长长的香蕉球，皮球飞过防守队员的头顶直入球门。这个进球最终使英格兰获得了世界杯的参赛资格，英格兰队最终杀进了半决赛，贝克汉姆成了英雄。
加盟皇马
贝克汉姆希望在皇马也取得这样辉煌的成绩。2003年6月17日他和皇马签约，加入一支拥有诸如菲戈、齐达内、罗纳尔多这样超级巨星的大牌球队。这是一支“梦之队，”有点类似于NBA2003-04赛季拥有奥尼尔、科比、佩顿和马龙的洛杉矶湖人队。
但是，和湖人队极其相似的是，皇马没有独领风骚，2003-04赛季皇马只得了个第四名。而这个赛季，到1月5日止，皇马排名第五。但是，贝克汉姆没打算放弃。
“我无论做什么都要做到最好。不管是为英格兰踢球还是为皇马，我要竭尽全力、做到最好。”
如果贝克汉姆的过去向我们暗示了什么的话，那么我们期待着皇马不久一鸣惊人。
1. glitz [glits] n． 浮华，炫耀
2． glamour n． 魅力
3． fancy adj． 花哨的
4． footwork n． 步法
5． snuff out 扼杀， 消灭， 死掉
6． blazing adj． 炫目的
7． elusive adj． 难捉摸的
8． make up for 弥补
9． buzz n． 愉快的沉醉
10． root for 支持
11． make one＇s mark使自己出名
12． showcase v． 展示
13． make－or－break要么成功要么毁灭
14． trail [treil] v． 落在（对手的）后面
15． boot [but] v． 踢
16． dominate v． 占支配地位
17． indication n． 象征， 迹象，征兆