Beckham: Both Feet on the Ground: An Autobiography – The Soccer Icon's Rise from East End London to Global Fame and Glory

Beckham: Both Feet on the Ground: An Autobiography – The Soccer Icon's Rise from East End London to Global Fame and Glory

Perfect for fans of the hit Netflix docuseries, Beckham. The autobiography of arguably the world’s most celebrated sports icon, David Beckham―a classic rags to riches saga of a boy, born into a poor East End London family, with prodigious talent and a father who believed in him and supported him until he became the most gifted athlete of his generation and his nation’s captain. In his own words, Beckham talks about the pressures of celebrity, his controversial and celebrated career, his marriage to Victoria Beckham and family, and, of course, life as the world’s best-known soccer player. In Beckham, the ordinary guy who fate decided would be lifted to glory tells the story of how it all happened. This definitive autobiography goes behind the headlines to reveal the man behind the icon: An Inspirational Story: From a working-class London family to the world stage, an unprecedented rags-to-riches journey fueled by raw talent and relentless hard work. - A Father-Son Dynamic: An honest look at his famously complex and career-defining relationship with legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. - Life in the Spotlight: A candid account of his marriage to Victoria Beckham and the immense pressures of becoming one half of the world’s most famous couple. - Captain for Country: The pride and pressure of wearing the armband, from the agony of the 1998 World Cup to leading the Three Lions with passion and resolve. “Smashing. . .Beckham is a magnet for controversy” - Sports Illustrated The Last Word on David Beckham There is only one David Beckham -- and it's not always the one you read about in the newspapers and magazines or see in the movies. From humble East End London beginnings, the boy with prodigious soccer skills grew up to be one of the most gifted athletes of his generation as well as a sex symbol and fashion icon. Along the way he married Spice Girl Victoria "Posh" Adams, and together they inhabit a celebrity whirlwind of Diana-esque proportions. In Both Feet on the Ground , David talks candidly about the perils of fame (his wife and son were the targets of a notorious kidnapping plot and he is the subject of almost daily tabloid rumors); the struggle to balance his roles as a devoted husband and besotted father with his globetrotting existence as an international soccer star; the behind-the-scenes stories of his most memorable and heartbreaking (if only he could retake that infamous penalty kick against Portugal in Euro 2004) career moments; the controversy surrounding his first year at Real Madrid after his $41 million transfer from Manchester United, the storied English team he joined as a teenager and led for more than a decade; and, finally, his love of America, where he plans to start a soccer school and perhaps, one day, even play professionally. Both Feet on the Ground is David Beckham's own extraordinary story, told by the man who knows him best -- David Beckham. David Beckham , who currently plays for Real Madrid, is the soccer world’s biggest star. Tom Watt is an English actor, writer, and broadcaster. Television, film, and stage credits include EastEnders , Patriot Games , and Fever Pitch . Tom has broadcast about soccer extensively in the U.K. and the U.S. He co-produced the innovative children's sports series Rookies for Channel Four television and created the successful Row Z for BBC Choice TV. After presenting sports shows over the past ten years for BBC and independent radio and television stations, he is currently the lead presenter for BBC London's soccer coverage and hosts weekly programs for Arsenal's club TV channel. As well as writing about soccer for every major U.K. newspaper, Tom is the author of several books about the game: The End , a groundbreaking oral history of Arsenal FC; A Passion for the Game , ninety firsthand accounts of life behind the scenes in English football; The Greatest Stage , the official history of Wembley Stadium; and, most recently, My Side , the bestselling autobiography of David Beckham. Tom also produces schoolbooks built around soccer, the latest of which, a twelve-book series called The Jags , was published earlier this year. Beckham Both Feet on the Ground: An Autobiography By Beckham, David Perennial ISBN: 0060570946 Chapter One Murdering the Flowerbeds 'Mrs Beckham? Can David come and have a game in the park?' I'm sure Mum could dig it out of the pile: that first video of me in action. There I am, David Robert Joseph Beckham, aged three, wearing thenew Manchester United uniform Dad had bought me for Christmas, playing soccer in the front room of our house in Chingford. Twenty-fiveyears on, and Victoria could have filmed me having a kickabout thismorning with Brooklyn before I left for training. For all that so much hashappened during my life -- and the shirt I'm wearing now is a differentcolor -- some things haven't really changed at all. As a father watching my own sons growing up, I get an idea of whatI must have