PARKINSON MEETS DAVID BECKHAM.

First up, a superstar of football. More than that, an icon of modern popular culture. He plays for England and Manchester United and has by common consent the potention to become one of the all-time greats. He married a Spice Girl and the two of them have become the most photographed and discussed people in the business. Now before we meet him and what he's really like, here's a reminder of what he does best of all. Ladies and gentlemen, David Beckham!

It is save to say you're among friends tonight.
Thankfully!
What about 'that' goal. Do you still get a charge out of watching it?
Yeah. People always ask me what's my favourite goal I've ever scored and it's always the Wimbledon that comes out of my mouth. I always get a buzz from watching it, even now.
Still got the boots, haven't you?
Yeah, my dad keeps everyhting. So he's still got the boots in his drawer at home.

Something about dad - when you read this book you've done about yourself - it's not an autobiography but it's a bit about your background and where you came from and how you became the star that you are - he was always large at that? He was a great influence on your life, wasn't he? You say in the book that you were programmed to be a footballer and programmed really by your dad.
My mum and dad have always been there since I was 7 or 8, when I first started playing Sunday League football. They've been to every game from then up to now - I think my dad's missed two games in my whole career. That's the sort of support any youngster needs to get to the top. And having someone like my mum and dad behind me, got me where I am today.
But what gave you the ambition in the first place, 'cause you never wanted to be anything but a footballer, did you?
I was always asked by my teachers at school what I wanted to be when I grew up. The only thing I used to say was a 'footballer'. I'm sure they had their doubts but I never had any doubt about becoming a professional footballer. I love every minute of it.
Were you always very gifted at the game and naturally gifted?
I was, because Isometimes at school I used to get kicked all over the place, come home from school with bruises from head to toe! I used to get quite a bit of stick at school but I've never want to turn 'round and say I was really good at football when I was 10, 11. I left that for other people to say. My dad never really told me I was 'that' good, but deep down he knew I had a bit of ability. But you practised an awful lot too, didn't you? Is that the whole thing about 'you're as good as the amount you practise'? And you've always practised from being a young kid.
I think when young kids ask questions to me, that's the first thing I always say to them - that practise gets you to the top. Obviously you've got to have a certain amount of ability but that's something my dad always drummed into me since I was 8, 9 ,10.

We've got some early stuff of you actually, being the young David Beckham here. Let's have a look and talk us through this. This is some indoor stuff. Man Utd shirt on. How old were you there?
About Brooklyn's age I think.
Now you're sister looks fair player as well.
Yeah. My sister...
Here you are getting some stick. This is you...bam. That's a young Vinnie Jones! So that's the stuff from yourr scrapbook when you were very very young.

You didn't get any international honours as a child, even though you were an outstanding footballer, because you were so small.
Yeah. I was picked for the trials to go down there but they always used to turn 'round to me and say I was too small, too skinny. I put my head down, worked hard, moved up to Manchester and I grew!
When you were young - let's look at your early teenage years - you are known for your dedicated way that you approach practise and training, you're not a boozer, so what happened in your early teenage years when you're mates going off, getting drunk on a Saturday night? What did you used to do?
Again I used to get a little bit of stick for that because a lot of my friends at school used to go out to parties on a Saturday night, and down the corner shop with a bottle of cider. I used to be tucked up watching Match of the Day with my dad, looking forward to the Sunday game. I was always dedicated in that way.
What about girlfriends in those days?
I had one or two, but the football took priority in those days.
So when did that change? As soon as you saw Victoria...
When I met Victoria, yeah! You know it still means a lot to me, football. But family life changes you completely.

What was it like when you first met her? Was it love at first sight?
Yeah, definately!
Was it?
Yeah.
Did you say to yourself "I'm gonna marry that girl"?
I've said it a lot of times before - I was in a hotel room with Gary Neville on an England trip and Victoria came on the tellie with one of her songs. And I said: "She's gorgeous. I got to meet her". I met her and the rest is history.
Did she fancy you?
I hope so!
I'm fishing for that remark she made when you knew that she fancied you.
I think it was when she bought me a big bunny. She bought me a big bunny one afternoon, 'round to the house. I think that was the first time I realised she liked me a bit.
And what about when you were walking past her and she was looking at your backside? Come on!
That was another thing actually. I was walking back to my car - we've been in London and I met her on the street. And she pulled up just behind me in the car and I dropped something. That was when she gave me the bunny actually, it wasn't in the house - so I was walking back to my car and she said: "Nice backside". Not in them words...
She said: "nice arse". That's what she said!

Now you grew up, you went to Manchester United, fulfilled that ambition, you met your pop star. Knowing that you could imagine when you were that child - was it like you imagined it would be? Has it been that way? Has it fulfilled your expectations or has it been worse or better or what?
Hmm. It's been worse at times. I've had a few hard times in my career so far. I'm only 25. There's been ups and downs and it's been sort of a rollercoaster ride. But I've loved nearly every minute of being a professional footballer and being u in Manchester. When I moved up here at the age of 16, obviously it was daunting for me because moving away from my family. But then again, my mum and dad were up there every weekend supporting me. So that made it a lot easier.

Let's talk about the life that you and Victoria lead. Because you are this incredible couple that are under the microscope all day long. You've got people camped outside your house. You can't go to buy a newspaper. You can't do anything normal. Your kid's been the subject of kidnap threats and baby snatching attempts and all this sort of stuff. Isn't there a time you look at Victoria and say to yourselves: "Is it worth all this"?
There probably has been times that we've talked to each other about the things that've gone on. It's upsetting when stories go in the paper about the kidnapping threats being not true. And that we've made them up, which to any parent, you don't make up stories like that. Why would they do that? To sell it to a newspaper! Exactly. It's unfortunate that people read this and a lot of people belief that. But it doesn't matter where we go. We can go to a restaurant in London where there are photographers but we can't stop living our lives. We're normal people. We're 25 and 26-year-old people and we still want to go out and enjoy our lives like anyone.

What they say of course the media, people who follow you around, is that you call publicity, that you actually beg for publicity. What's your answer to that?
Well again, there's been stories in the paper and there's been stories in books, that say that we do ring up these photographer, paparrazzi, and get them to come down wherever we are. I can swear now, we've never done that. We've never sold any pictures apart from our wedding. That's the only things we've ever sold pictures for. We've never ever rang paparrazzi up or nothing like that.
There was a documentary on about me and Victoria and there was a photographers going 'round in his car looking for us. And he was saying that we'd phoned him. Now why would he be going around looking for us if w'd phoned him and told him where we was? So we always get stories like that.

It is a soap opera that you're living iun a sense, isn't it? And the characters of the soap opera are written by the tabloid press. Now what about the concept that they put over of you and her? The concept is that she is the bossy one and you are the henpecked David Beckham. And she wears the trousers except when you wear her knickers! Would that be a brief resume of the way that they portray you?
We are portrayed as different people to what we actually are. Victoria obviously says things now and again that make it a little bit worse for me, like the knicker incident.

So you don't wear them?
No, I don't wear knickers. It'd be a bit worrying if I did because she's a bit smaller than me!
I just wondered if that was the sort of feminine side of yourself you talk about in the book. A bit of cross-dressing, David?
No, I can actually say I've not worn Victoria's knickers before. Not in public anyway!

All questions were asked by Michael Parkinson.