The Beckham effect

There is only one David Beckham.

Yes, that's the title of a book about him.

Those words also are lyrics fans use (kindly and not-so-kindly) to serenade him. But who else could pull off the life he's pulled off? He's become an icon in the soccer world, not because of the goals he scores (he's far from prolific) but by the way he facilitates scoring for others. He has made kids all over the world wish they had his magical right foot.

He married a Spice Girl. Photographers follow his kids to school. He hangs out with Beyonce and J-Lo. And he swaps text messages with his VSBF (that's very special best friend, for you non-texters) Tom Cruise.

At age 32, he's not at his best skillwise, but he's still good. And his arrival to Major League Soccer this year has drawn unprecedented attention to what's still a niche sport in this country.

And he's here for one game today at the Dome, as his Los Angeles Galaxy faces the Thunder in the Copa Minnesota (Minnesota Cup).

Afterward, he'll hop on a jet to England, where he'll return to action with England's national team.

Only David Beckham can live so large.

Becoming an icon

How did this all begin?

Beckham debuted with Manchester United at age 20 and the national team a year later. Normally a right winger, he was William Tell in boots, able to send crosses and free kicks anywhere he wanted. Manchester United became a force in the English Premier League as he set up teammates for goals. He wore his hair longer then --think Simon LeBon from Duran Duran.

He announced his arrival during the 1996-97 season when he chipped the goalkeeper from the halfway line. He was going to be a force.

He made major headlines when he dated and later married Victoria Adams (Posh Spice). His good looks made him a pitchman for everything. He became the most well-known soccer player in the world.

Beckham last year became the first English player to score in three consecutive World Cups, but his run on the world's biggest stage has been far from drama-free.

He was red-carded in the 1998 World Cup for kicking Argentina's Diego Simeone after he was fouled. England lost the emotional match on penalty kicks, and Beckham received most of the blame. One headline read, "10 heroic lions, one stupid boy."

But he redeemed himself at the 2002 World Cup, scoring a goal that helped England avenge its loss to Argentina and reach the quarterfinals.

Beckham hobbled off the field during a 2006 World Cup loss to Portugal. He limped to the podium the next day and had to fight to keep composed as he relinquished his captaincy. It was supposed to end his international career, but now his country needs him to qualify for the European Championships.

Coming to America

Beckham left Manchester United after the 2002-03 season for Real Madrid in a $35 million transfer move. His contract there included a clause in which half of his image rights would go to the club. Real Madrid fattened its cash reserves, but the team had little success on the field. Beckham even was benched for a stretch. After being dropped from the national team and losing his place on this club team, it looked as if Beckham's career was in tatters.

But he decided to make the move to Los Angeles, where he already had a soccer academy established. Besides, Posh could reinvent herself. Including marketing deals, Becks is to receive $250 million over five years -- about $32.5 million of it in salary.

There soon were orders for 250,000 of his jerseys worldwide. Galaxy season ticket sales swelled to 11,000, and all 42 suites at the Home Depot Center were sold out. Eva Longoria and Kevin Garnett showed up at his debut match, an exhibition against Chelsea.

Beckham unfortunately played in just five MLS games because of ankle and knee injuries. The league nevertheless made money off the advance sale of tens of thousands of tickets sold just in anticipation of Beckham playing.

He's healthy now, having played 72 minutes Wednesday in an exhibition game against the Vancouver Whitecaps, a game that drew an announced crowd of 48,172. The Galaxy has games scheduled in Australia and New Zealand later this year, as the club tries to rake in appearances fees.

That's the Beckham effect.

La Velle E. Neal III • lneal@startribune.com