The men who made David Beckham

Ted Beckham

Like most doting dads, Ted Beckham was desperate to see his young son succeed in football. From the endless hours of practice in the park, to taking David to watch and later take part in his own games of football, Ted was there for him from day one. "David had a very special talent for playing the game," he explained in David Beckham, My Son. "I knew he had been given an extraordinary gift and it was my job to try and bring it out. It wasn't long before that job took over my life.”

Ted's influence on the park was largely responsible for creating the player we saw every week. He would oversee David's free-kick practice until late at night, rewarding him with a pat on the back and…