David Beckham life as a football legend and his struggles with OCD as he turns 50 The star celebrates a new milestone in his personal life after a career full of them David Beckham turned 50 on 1st May 2025 (Image: David Beckham on Instagram ) Former footballing legend David Beckham celebrates turning 50-years-old on Friday (1st May), after being thrust into the spotlight and becoming a household name at the age of 21. David originally signed for Manchester United as a trainee in 1991 before signing as a professional player on 23rd January 1993. ‌ It wasn't until 1996 that the star had his "breakout moment" when he played for Manchester United in a match against Wimbledon and scored a goal from the halfway line. ‌ "It changed my life," he later said. "The ball seemed to be in the air for hours and it all went quiet. Then the ball went in and it just erupted. I was on cloud nine." David Beckham scored the iconic third goal in the match against Wimbledon in 1996 (Image: Shaun Botterill/Allsport/Getty Images ) Article continues below He enjoyed a glittering career at Old Trafford, particularly with the team having a treble-win during 1998-99, when they scooped the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. David became just the fifth player to earn 100 England caps when he featured against France in Paris in 2008, but stopped playing internationally in 2009. After his 21 year career, David retired in 2013 at 38-years-old after winning a title with Paris Saint Germain. ‌ Away from his illustrious sporting career, David married wife Victoria Beckham in 1999, with them since giving birth to their four children Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper. Victoria and David are the "it" couple of England (Image: David Beckham on Instagram ) In his recent Netflix documentary, Beckham, the footballer shared how he used to drive four hours just to visit Victoria even if it was for 20 minutes. ‌ Back in 2006, David shared that he suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder, with excessive tidiness seeing him arranging "everything in a straight line or…in pairs". Reflecting on this during his Netflix documentary, he shared: "The fact that when everyone’s in bed I then go around, clean the candles, turn the lights on to the right setting, make sure everywhere is tidy. I hate coming down in the morning and there’s cups and plates and, you know, bowls. "I clip the candle wax, I clean the glass, that’s my pet hate, the smoke around the inside of a candle. I know, it’s weird." ‌ Now that the star turns 50, he previously commented on how "it doesn't bother" him. He said: "It’s not something that I’m worried about, as long as I’m fit and healthy and my family are healthy, that’s all I care about. I’m really happy. I’ve got the business and an amazing family." Known for being well-tattooed, the former footballer estimated that he had around 81 individual tattoos covering his entire body. This includes a solar system image on his scalp, started with the word 'Brooklyn' on his lower back as his first tattoo. Not only was David comfortable on the pitch, but on the big screen to as he made film debuts throughout his stardom. He played a projectionist in The Man from U.N.C.L.E and Trigger in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Article continues below He has also had a cameo in American sitcom Modern Family, and featured in a Sport Relief episode of Only Fools and Horses, his favourite television show.