1: Leytonstone, east London
On May 2, 1975, David Robert Joseph Beckham was born. Son of a gas fitter and a local hairdresser, fresh-faced David never made much of an impact at school and spent most of his spare time doing "keepy-uppies" in the local park. His birthplace, Leytonstone, is a friendly but otherwise unremarkable London suburb redeemed by its numerous open spaces and proximity to Epping Forest. True aficionados can visit nearby Chingford, where an eight-year-old Becks scored more than 100 goals for his first team, The Ridgeway Rovers.
What to do...
Take a stroll around Epping Forest - the largest public space in London - and keep an eye out for some gorgeous birds....
Useful links: CIty of London: Epping Forest
2: Walthamstow greyhound track, east London
In 1987, David Beckham was 12 years old and in need of extra pocket money. It was here that he landed the only job outside football he would ever have: collecting glasses at the local dog track.
What to do ...
Wonder at David's humble beginnings or simply have a flutter on the dogs ...
Walthamstow Stadium, Rushcroft Road, Walthamstow
Tel: 0208 498 3300
Directions: From Walthamstow tube turn right onto Billet Road. Take the third exit on the roundabout onto Chingford Road and the first right onto Rushcroft Road.
Useful link:
www.wsgreyhound.co.uk
3: Old Trafford football ground, Manchester
"There was never another team for me", says Beckham of Manchester United, though Alex Ferguson clearly has other ideas. It was here, in 1986, that an 11-year-old Beckham won the Bobby Charlton Soccer Skills Award. Ten years later he had signed to his dream team and had started on the journey that would one day see him as the world's most attractive footballer with a celebrity wife.
What to do...
Test your knowledge of the man and his game at the Old Trafford Museum and Tour Centre. The museum offers a comprehensive and lively history of Manchester United.
Sir Matt Busby Way, M16 ORA
Tel: 0870 442 1994
Directions: M6, M56, and M60 junction 7, A56 towards city centre, left onto Sir Matt Busby Way.
Useful link:
www.oldtrafford.org
Budding would-be Beckhams can pit themselves against the country's best at The Bobby Charlton Soccer School. A five-day course runs at Rossell School, in Fleetwood, Blackpool and costs £270. Tel: 0161 643 3113
4: Wimbledon football ground, south London
With a strong and assured performance in his first United match against Galatasaray, David Beckham had begun to make an indelible mark on his team. But in 1996, he scored a goal that landed him in the annals of football history. In the last moments of a tense match against Wimbledon, he had a dig from just inside his own half, past Wimbledon keeper Neil Sullivan and straight into the back of the net. "It changed my life completely," he said. "I was just walking on clouds and I wanted to shake every player's hand."
What to do...
Take in a match at Wimbledon's former home ground (though, of course, Wimbledon now play in Milton Keynes. Which makes perfect sense).
Selhurst Park Stadium, London, SE25 6PY
Tel: 0208 771 2233
Directions: A five-minute walk from Selhurst train station.
Useful link:
www.wimbledon-fc.co.uk
5: The Met Bar, Mayfair
By the late 90s, Beckham was well on his way to becoming one of the highest-paid footballers on the planet. The Met Bar was a popular haunt for his Spice Girl fiancée Victoria Adams, and the pair now mingled and schmoozed with assorted rock stars, models and TV personalities.
What to do ...
if you're not rich and beautiful, expect a frosty reception from the goons on the door. When you've swigged a skinful of daiquiris, drag yourself upstairs to ...
The Metropolitan Hotel, 19 Park Lane, W1K 1LB
Tel: 0207 447 1000
Directions: A two-minute walk from Hyde Park Corner tube (Piccadilly line).
Useful link:
www.metropolitan.co.uk
6: Prada, Chelsea
It often seems that David Beckham is as famous for his wardrobe as he is for his career in football. In recent years, we've seen hand made shoes, Italian suits, leather trousers and silk sarongs. And, of course, the inimitable Prada moccasins; Prada being perhaps the most achingly fashionable, eye-wateringly expensive brand in the entire world.
What to do ...
Wake up in your clothes, dust yourself down and prepare for battle: we're going shopping ... Beckham style. Ports of call include Gucci (for leather jackets and belts), Fendi (for shirts and suits), and David's favourite off-the-pitch shoe store, Prada.
43-44 Sloane Street
Tel: 0207 235 0008
Directions: Turn right out of Sloane Square station and right again onto Sloane Street.
Useful link:
www.prada.com
7: Brooklyn, New York
"He has my legs, my feet, and exactly the same toes as me", said David of his son, Brooklyn Joseph Beckham, soon after his birth. Born on March 3 1999 and named after the site of his conception, David and Victoria's first child started life in style; Remi Krug sent the Beckhams two baby bottles of vintage champagne along with the message "Welcome to the world of bubbles".
What to do ...
Move and shake with the movers and shakers at the world famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
301 Park Avenue at 50th St, NY
Useful links:
www.hotels.com
www.nycvisit.com
If NYC is beyond your budget why not try The Grangewood Hotel near Brooklyn Avenue, south-east London?
241 Whitehorse Lane, London SE25 6UU
Tel: 0208 653 3780
Directions: Five minutes' walk from Norwood Junction train station.
Useful link:
www.virtual-norwood.com
8: Luttrellstown Castle, Ireland
On July 4 1999, David Beckham married Victoria Adams at a "secret" castle location near Dublin. OK! magazine secured a rumoured £1m exclusivity contract, while 500 guests thronged to the six-course dinner and dance. Ensconced and enthroned, the newlyweds smiled sweetly for the cameras.
What to do ...
Choose from golf, horse riding and archery at the mind-bogglingly expensive Luttrellstown Castle.
Castleknock, Dublin 16, Ireland
Tel: + 353 1808 9900
Directions: Off the M50, 20 minutes from Dublin International Airport.
Useful links:
www.luttrellstown.ie/private.htm
www.ireland.travel.ie.
9: Beckingham Palace, Hertfordshire
In August 1999, just weeks after their marriage, the couple splashed out on a mock-Georgian, seven-bedroom house in Sawbridegworth, near Stansted airport. The house lies just outside the town, set back from the main road behind heavy iron gates.
What to do ...
Join the British public in a bout of unbridled envy as you gaze on the £2.5m mansion. Seethe at the injustice of the property's swimming pool, gymnasium and 24 acres of land. Positively boil in bile as you consider the couple's other penthouse residence.
When you've finished all that, drag your heels up the street and console yourself with a drink at ...
The Market House Hotel, Knight Street, Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire
Tel: 01279 722807
Directions: Take Junction 7 off the M11. Sawbridgeworth is on the A1184.
Useful link:
www.sawbridgeworth.com
10: Portland hospital, London
On Sunday September 1 last year, the world was introduced to the latest member of the Beckham clan. Unlike his brother, Romeo wasn't named after the place of his conception but was so called, said well-known Shakespeare fan David, because it's "just a name we love". There's not much going on at the Portland hospital, besides all the usual medical type-stuff, and we're pretty sure the staff won't be that keen on you asking to see the room where Romeo was born. Nevertheless, word has it that Beckham was very impressed by the stylish doctor's coats and considered wearing one to this year's MTV awards. Fashion tips, as all Beckham followers know, lurk in the unlikeliest of places.
What to do ...
Take a stroll in nearby Regent's Park, with its wonderful Queen Mary's Gardens and open-air theatre. Afterwards you could take the kids along to the not-quite-so-wonderful London Zoo. Just think, if the Beckhams had been there nine months earlier, they might have a son called Monkey Enclosure.
The Portland Hospital for Women and Children
205-209 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 5AH
London Zoo, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY
Tel: 020 7722 3333
Useful links:
www.theportlandhospital.com
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
London Zoo
11: Barcelona, Spain?
Beckham is as likely to be playing for Barcelona next year as he is to win a popularity contest in the Ferguson household, but that's not to say Beckhamistas shouldn't swot up on the Catalan capital. You can never be too careful - imagine if he did end up there and you hadn't read George Orwell's Homage To Catalonia in advance. Oh, the shame! And, despite its football team languishing in obscurity in the Spanish league, Barcelona is a far cooler city that its rival for Beckham's affection, Madrid.
What to do ...
The 10th annual Sónar dance music festival kicks off today, and may well be Europe's finest musical gathering, with DJs, musicians, filmmakers and sundry other groovy types taking to the streets. If that sounds a little hectic, there's plenty to see by way of art, architecture and design. Barcelona is the city of Gaudi, the turn-of-the-century Catalan architect who decorated his home town with his strange, modernist buildings, parks and private houses, so almost any walk around town has its rewards.
Useful links:
www.sonar.es
www.gaudiclub.com
12: Madrid, Spain?
Okay, so having said that Madrid isn't as cool as Barcelona that doesn't mean there's not plenty to do for a young family. When Real Madrid finally sign our David, he'll soon discover the capital's legendary nightlife. Madrid, they say, is the city that never sleeps. As a young father with two kids, doubtless Beckham knows all about that, but surely not sleeping can't be good for his football?
What to do ...
It has been suggested that David and Victoria Beckham are quite keen on being famous and hanging out with celebs. Whilst this suggestion is clearly an outrageous slur (isn't Elton John best mates with everyone these days?), there are a few places in Madrid to go to see and be seen. We suggest starting the evening at La Bardemcilla (calle Augusto Figueroa), a restaurant owned by the family of leading Spanish actor, Javier Bardem, before taking a drink at Chicote (Gran Via), a club once popular with Ernest Hemingway (he was an American writer, David). After that, there are the superclubs Kapital (calle Atoche) and Joy Eslava (calle Arenal), which are popular with Madrid's stars and visiting tourists (so at least there's a chance someone might speak some English). Madrid is, of course, full of wonderful museums (the Reina Sofia is home to Picasso's Guernica), but it seems a little unlikely that either of the Beckhams will be too interested in those. Real Madrid's stadium, the enormous Bernabau, is worth a visit.
Useful links:
Reina Sofia museum
Real Madrid
