The furore surrounding David Beckham’s arrival in America has raised a few eyebrows already. Yet in the UK the ‘Beckham circus’ has been going on for over a decade. However, despite the constant hype, the never-ending hair cuts, the tattoos, the extravagantly named children and the constant exposure he will be welcomed home with open arms whenever he chooses to return. Now how on earth did he manage that?

Perhaps it’s best to start at the beginning, with David Beckham the footballer. Beckham arrived in the public’s consciousness as a floppy haired teenager playing for one of England’s biggest clubs, Manchester United. Yet it wasn’t until he scored an audacious goal from the half-way line against Wimbledon in 1996 that he really hit the headlines. Once he did, there was no stopping him.

Beckham’s United were fantastically successful and in their red shirt he won six domestic leagues titles, two FA cups and the European Champions League. He was also part of the team that won the historic ‘Treble’ in 1999 (the English Premier League, FA Cup and European Champions league all in the same season) a unique feat and one that ensured his place in footballing history.

Yet despite all of this Beckham was never regarded as the most skilful of players. He was a hard working right-sided midfielder whose strengths lay in the accuracy of his long passing, his expert free kicks and his phenomenal work rate.

However, life on the pitch hasn’t always been so happy for Beckham. In the 1998 World Cup playing for England in a bitter match against Argentina, Beckham was sent off for a retaliatory kick at Diego Simeone. England conspired to lose the match on penalties and a nation’s hopes faded. The blame was pinned well and truly on only one man, David Beckham.

The press and fans had a field day. He was subjected to abusive chants, death threats and effigies were strung up at matches. Yet Beckham refused to let it get to him. He put his head down, worked hard and played some of the best football of his career. He finished that season with the treble.

Yet his real redemption arrived in 2001 in a qualifying match for the 2002 World Cup. England were playing Greece and needed to win or draw the match to automatically qualify for the tournament. With seconds to go England were losing 2-1 but a free kick was won on the outside of the Greek penalty area. Beckham, the free-kick specialist, placed the ball. Seconds later it was in the back of the net, the fans rejoiced, England had qualified and more importantly a nation had forgiven.

More salvation was to come in the World Cup in 2002. England faced Argentina yet again and for Beckham a chance to face his nemesis. It was a tough, even game until England were awarded a penalty. There was only one man who could take it. Beckham stepped up, visibly fraught, but scored to win the game and his wild celebrations revealed his true feelings, his demons from 1998 had been well and truly exorcised.

Not even a move away from English football could taint his standing now. In 2003 Beckham moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid. Much of the Spanish press and public thought it was simply a commercial move on Madrid’s part and that he had been bought simply to sell more shirts. However Beckham won over the fans at Madrid despite his time at there yielding little success on the pitch. However in true Beckham style this all changed on the last day of the 2006/07 season, in Beckham’s last match for the club when Madrid won their last game of the season to clinch the Spanish title and Beckham’s first medal with the club. Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it any better.

This phenomenal sporting success is often forgotten such is Beckham’s global fame off the pitch. He is married to Victoria Adams (aka Posh Spice) a member of the pop group the Spice Girls and has three exotically named sons: Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz. This has meant he has hit the headlines on the front pages of the papers as many times as he has hit the back pages with his sporting triumphs. There have been reports of affairs, an incident involving former Manchester United manger Alex Ferguson which left Beckham with a scar on his forehead, the fashion and of course the nickname. To the sporting world he is ‘Becks’ but to his wife he is ‘Goldenballs’ (a nickname she revealed on a UK chat show) and could it be more apt?

All of which is why we can easily forgive the haircuts, the tattoos, the sarong, the squeaky voice and the celebrity wife. No matter what nonsense occurs off the field, Beckham makes sure he does his talking where it matters, on the pitch whether it be in Manchester, Madrid or even Los Angeles.