I am sorry to announce today, as many of you already learned, that Capello has officially left Beckham out of his squad.

(source)Not enough match practice, coach says

"I know there has been a lot of discussion about David Beckham," Capello said. "The reason that David is not in the squad is because he has not had any real match practice since playing in November."

"When I spoke with David on the phone [Wednesday], I advised him that he is still part of my plans, and once he is playing regularly in America we will look closely at him again."

It is a setback for Becks and his fans but we must keep up the faith and support in Becks as he will get another chance I am sure. We heard him in his previous interviews posted this week that he is confident that he will get his other chance at his 100th cap. I am sure fan support will be a big factor to keep training and pushing hard, so lets all stay behind him.

Labels: 100th cap, david beckham

It's not been a busy day for substantiated professional news. It's been a very busy day for rumors, but by now I'm sure we're all rather bored with that. Tomorrow we'll know if David is named in Capello's initial choices for the England squad (the number of which he'll further reduce between now and the friendly). All we can do is cross fingers and wait for the truth to emerge. So while we do, here are some tidbits from other areas of David's life + his latest blog to entertain us.

Inked Again Here's a closer shot of David's new tattoo, which encloses his existing tattoo with what looks like a starry night scene. No word yet on the specific significance of the tattoo, but lots of speculation that he's emulating Wentworth Miller's character on Prison Break. Apparently Becks is a big fan. Read more here. Protect the Skin You're in Recently in Brazil David sported a new t-shirt of nude Victoria bearing the message “Protect the skin you're in”, raising a few eyebrows. The t-shirt is part of a skin cancer awareness campaign in which Victoria's participating. The shirt was created by Marc Jacobs. There is an article about it here.

David's Latest Blog
It's that time again, another blog from the man himself. David writes:

Hi everyone,

I have just returned from Brazil where over the weekend I unveiled the plans for a brand new sports complex and Academy. It’s an incredible project of which I am very proud, catering for professional athletes as well as Brazilian children via a scholarship programme, which will include local schools just like my Academies in London and Los Angeles. And like them, my Brazilian Academy will be open to people whatever their ability.

It’s going to be an amazing complex, with state of the art facilities, and I’m very happy that it will be built in the beautiful country of Brazil, where, as I’m sure you know, some of the greatest footballers of all time were born.

Back in the UK, I’ve also been keeping to my training schedule at Arsenal’s London Colney ground. I feel fit and sharp and that is due to hard work and also thanks to training with one of the fittest squads in Europe.

Take care


The Surf, a Bloke, and a Ball
Some of this footage was set to music in a video clip Franco posted yesterday. But just in case anyone's interested in the raw video, this is David keeping the ball up on the beach in Brazil, replete with the undisturbed sound of the surf.


Posted by Dina Ely, soccer editorial/commentary writer. Blog: Eleven Men

Labels: 100th cap, david beckham, david beckham fitness

(Source: The Canadian Press) SAO PAULO, Brazil - David Beckham will announce plans Tuesday for his third soccer academy - the Beckham World of Sport in Brazil, a sports complex that will be located in a soon-to-be-built luxury resort that backers say will be one of the country's largest.

The latest David Beckham Academy will be among the highlights of the new development in northeastern Brazil, according to a statement by the Cabo Sao Roque resort, which will be built near the resort city of Natal.

Beckham is a partner in the resort project, and also will oversee the academy, a soccer training facility on the resort's grounds. Beckham's academies already have been established in London and at the Home Depot Center in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, home to the Los Angeles Galaxy and the U.S. national teams programs.

Internet filled with unconfirmed rumors about Becks' 100th cap

As many fans have already pointed out, there are a whole lot of unconfirmed rumors and hearsay about Capello having let his "inner-circle" know he intends to leave Beckham out of his first squad for the friendly against Switzerland. The reason would be that Capello is doubting the player's fitness level. The 32 year old played his last match last October with L.A. Galaxy.
We all know that he's been training hard so I think it's just best to wait for the official announcement before jumping to any conclusion. How trustworthy is an inner-circle that would leak such information anyways. Here is a link to an interesting article on this rumor, which contains a small poll amongst the paper's writers at the end. Click here to read.

Other, nicer unconfirmed reports: Becks to host cystic fibrosis charity dinner

TheSun.co.uk was reporting that Beckham will replace Thierry Henry in a cystic fibrosis charity dinner. He was quoted:

"As soon as I found out I couldn’t be there I contacted David and he was only too happy to fill my shoes. That’s the sort of guy he is."

Please click here to read the full story, which is a nice read about challenges faced because of it by a close friend of Henry who has a daughter with the disease.

Labels: 100th cap, brazil, cystic fibrosis, david beckham, thierry henry

Capello Keeps an Eye on Beckham
In what pundits are calling the “first hint” that Capello will include Beckham in the England squad against Switzerland, Capello had his fitness coach Massimo Neri (also from Real Madrid) contact Arsenal to check on David's fitness levels. While this is pure speculation, as Capello has made no official announcements, some view it as proof that Capello is considering Becks for the team. It's worth noting Capello is also monitoring the fitness of other players previously named to the team (and, it seems, a few who haven't yet), so he isn't as yet singling Beckham out. He is, however, paying attention to him, and that's an encouraging bit of news. Read more here.


He'd Move Heaven and Earth to Get Him
Sven Goran Eriksson went a bit further than merely speaking out on behalf of Beckham's century. He's now admitted he told David he'd “move heaven and earth” to sign the star to Manchester City. Considering David spent most of his career at Man Utd, a move to City would be incredibly controversial, making himself a one-man derby. There is precedent for such a move (Denis Law, Brian Kidd, Wyn Davies), but Eriksson admits it's highly unlikely Becks would return to play in the EPL:

“I can’t see him coming back here. I think he will finish his career in America.”

“He has a long contract and he is very keen to make football popular in America. And if anyone can do that it’s David.”

Read the whole story here .

The whole issue is, of course, a moot point; David has a 5 year contract with the Galaxy and Lalas has stated emphatically on a number of occasions that he is not for sale or loan.


They Want His Body
In oddball news, The Beverly Hills Institute of Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery released their "Hollywood's Hottest Looks" survey on Thursday, compiling what their patients most request when they go under the knife. For men undergoing plastic surgery, Beckham's body was one of the most frequent requests. Find out more here.


Becks Not After Rap Stardom
In light of recent rumors that David will collaborate with Snoop Dogg on a rap song, David's publicist told blog The Celebrity Truth there is “no truth in that one”. More here.


Carbon Footprint Hoax
The reports widely circulating the Internet about David's alleged carbon footprint have been labeled—by the organization who supposedly calculated the footprint—as false. The flurry of criticism over his lifestyle (e.g. frequent air travel) has labeled Becks an environmental villain. Yet when contacted about the carbon footprint figures they were reported to have released, The Carbon Trust said they were "simply a hoax". More here.


"It's not an official brand."
A Chinese contraceptive company has caused a stir by attaching David's name to their best-selling condom, completely without his permission. This brief article explains the situation—I'll say no more in the interest of any underage readers. Click the link only if prepared for adult concepts.


Posted by Dina Ely, soccer editorial/commentary writer. Blog: Eleven Men

Galaxy on the Shanghai Express
Further news is emerging about the LA Galaxy's Asian tour, announced here yesterday. They are confirmed to play in Shanghai against East Asia, a Chinese team composed of mostly under-20s. The match is scheduled for March 5^th. According to Shanghai Daily Becks will play for only 45 minutes, as all are eager to ensure he avoids injury before the start of the MLS season. It's speculated Galaxy will play another match in China, and their match in South Korea against FC Seoul is also confirmed. Read more here.

"He's still got the ability"
Steven Gerrard has joined the list of England players asking for David's 100^th cap, but also asserts Becks is capable of continuing to play throughout England's campaign for 2010 World Cup qualification. He told Sky Sports News:

"I think everyone's talking about 100 caps for David, but I'm sure he can go on and achieve a lot more. He's still got the ability to be involved in the setup.

"He's a very fit lad. He looks after himself really well. He's still got that passion to play for the country.

Read Gerrard's full comments here.


Sven Speaks Up Again
At the FWA tribute dinner for David earlier this month Sven Goran Eriksson delivered a speech strongly encouraging Fabio Capello to award Becks his century. Following the comments of his cross-town counterpart Ferguson, the Man City boss has reiterated that he believes Becks should be given his 100^th cap. Eriksson said:

"He deserves his 100th cap, of course he does, simply for the service he has given.

And in contrast to fellow ex-England manager Steve McClaren, Eriksson doesn't believe David's MLS move automatically disqualifies him from further international participation.

"Even if he is in America I think he can still fight for his place in the team, certainly his right foot is no worse than it used to be!"

Read the full interview here.


Raw Footage of Beckham in Africa
This is 3 minutes of raw documentary footage of David in Sierra Leone, sans voiceover. You can clearly hear the ambiance—like cameras clicking, children talking, Becks applauding a child. It also features extended clips of his soccer games with local kids. The video has an interview sequence we've seen before, but the real value in this video is catching a glimpse of the unobstructed sights and sounds of his trip, many of which are deeply touching.

Beckham the Groupie!
The Spice Girls were interviewed on Good Morning America yesterday, and at about 1m 30s the conversation turns briefly to David, their biggest fan!

Posted by Dina Ely, soccer editorial/commentary writer. Blog: Eleven Men

Labels: beckham 100th cap, david beckham, david beckham in sierra leone, spice girls

(Source) A formal announcement is expected later this week on a pre-season tour in Asia for L.A. Galaxy. Full details of the schedule are yet to be finalized but L.A. Galaxy confirms that they are in preparations.

"We are planning to visit Asia," Galaxy spokesman Patrick Donnelly told PA Sport. "We're looking at a few different countries. Korea is on the potential list of countries."

The planned tour will allow the Galaxy to tap into David Beckham's huge popularity in Asia.

Last November, MLS's commissioner Don Garber revealed that L.A. Galaxy had 700% increase in jersey sales this season as the last one. The increase is semi-exclusively attached to Becks' famouse number 23 :).

Many of these sales originated from Asia where MLS matches are now shown live. This big sales increase came despite Beckham's injury problems that only allowed him to make a handful of appearances in his first season with the U.S. club. The tour will also come on the back of the inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship, which is scheduled for late February in Hawaii.

Also related to this story, Reuters is reporting that they will play FC Seoul in Korea.

Becks updates his blog on his visit to Sierra Leone

Here is the update from his blog:

I’ve just returned from visiting Sierra Leone in Africa as part of my role as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. I was honoured to be invited and though I saw many problems and issues to tackle, I was heartened by the incredible and selfless work UNICEF and other agencies are doing on the ground to help. I was also humbled by the people of Sierra Leone who despite the problems they face, keep smiling and are hopeful for the future. They made me feel extremely welcome in their country and I will never forget the experience.
One in four children die in Sierra Leone before they reach the age of five and many of the diseases that children suffer can be prevented. I genuinely hope that by visiting the affected areas and spending time with some of the people there, it will draw the world’s attention towards the problems children face not only in Sierra Leone but similar situations across the world. If you want to make a donation to the fantastic work that UNICEF does then please click here

Thank you

David

More support for Becks 100th Cap - Ferguson

(Source) Sir Alex Ferguson last night took his most significant step towards a reconciliation with David Beckham by saying the former Manchester United midfielder should be given his 100th England cap.

Ferguson seems to support Becks 100th Cap but doesn't believe he will get Captaincy. Here are quotes from the article.

"To deny David his 100th cap would not be right and I think Fabio Capello has made up his mind about that,"

and...

"I think he will get his 100th cap. I don't think there is any doubt about that." Talking about the Captaincy however, he was quoted:

"Rio's captained us a few times this season and I think experience is important in that role."

Labels: beckham in asia, david beckham, david beckham sierra leone blog update, l.a. galaxy in asia

Hi everyone... just a quick note to let you know I have just finished putting the forums together. Please visit them, register and start posting! Enjoy! and there is a comments and suggestion section where you can leave... well... your comments and suggestions! hehe.
http://davidbeckham.fans-online.com/forums/

Video: Ambassador Beckham on Duty
As reported in the previous post, David was recently in Sierra Leone as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He toured the country for four days, beginning in the capital of Freetown and traveling to the northern province to visit the area where child mortality is highest. Along the way he played a game soccer with local children and gave them autographed soccer balls, toured health clinics, and even administered medicine to a patient. This touching video shows excerpts from his visit.

Franco found another video directly from UNICEF, parts of which were also broadcast on Sky Sports News.


McClaren Smarting Where the Door Hit Him
Steve McClaren has ponied up another interview with ESPN Press Pass regarding his infamous reign as England's manager, including his decision to exclude Beckham from the squad. Here's a snip:

Q. You grabbed the headlines straight away. One of your first decisions was to leave David Beckham out. What was the thought process behind that?
A. Just to go forward. Just believing that we had the players behind, young players coming through, who could play on the right hand side and looking at Euro 2008 coming up.

I could see the likes of Steven Gerrard (who was playing on the right for Liverpool) and Owen Hargreaves, who'd come through in the World Cup. Also with Frank Lampard and Joe Cole, I could see a very strong midfield and, a great player like David Beckham, I didn't see being able to sit on the bench. I didn't really want that.

There are other Beckham-related questions, see the full interview here.


MLS Will Seal Beckham's Fate?
Speaking of McClaren, here's a piece that dovetails on the McClaren & 100th cap story reported here on Jan. 18th. He also told ESPN that while he was confident Becks will win his 100th cap, his future as an international player will be on rocky ground because he's now playing in the MLS. McClaren said:

He's gone from the top, top team in Europe to basically America and MLS where it's really at the beginnings and nurturing and flourishing and coming through, but not of the standard of what he's used to. And definitely not of the standard of what international football requires.

It's not a unique opinion; many skeptical pundits have been saying that for months. But you can read McClaren's version of the theory in the interview here.


Press Pass Catches up with Ruud Gullit
Last week Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit spoke to ESPN's Press Pass in a Q&A as well, much of it dealing with having Beckham on the Galaxy side. Here's a snippet:

Q. How do you build a team on the basis that they struggled last season and Beckham was not included in the side generally because of injury - do you build the team around Beckham?
A. No, it is not around Beckham because we have also Landon Donovan and Landon is also a good player. We try to create a team that plays its best as a team and not as individuals. David is part of that and Landon is also part of that and we hope to do something so they can play their best games and so others will learn from them.

Read the interview here.


Newcastle Rumors Addressed
Alexi Lalas spoke to Sky Sports News yesterday and said there is "absolutely no truth" to the rumors that David may sign with Newcastle United. He stated that Newcastle hasn't approached him, and that even if they had David will never be loaned out or for sale. Becks is, as Alexi put it, "unavailable". Another report presenting Newcastle's side of the story can be found on Goal.com


Father and Son in the Groove
A video with clips of a Spice Girls concert at O2 in December is now floating around YouTube. At about 1m 20s you catch a fairly good glimpse of David and Cruz in the crowd. At 4m 10s you see him and Cruz rockin' out! (Though Cruz doesn't seem to appreciate the volume quite as much as the fans...)

Posted by Dina Ely, soccer editorial/commentary writer. Blog: Eleven Men

Labels: david beckham, david beckham in sierra leone, david beckham with unicef, l.a. galaxy, newcastle united, ruud gullit, spice girls, steve mcclaren

JustJared posted an article on David Beckham's trip to Sierra Leone. We have a few quotes from his time there:

"We can’t turn a blind eye to the tens of thousands of young children who die every day in the developing world mostly from causes that are preventable,"

And...

"In Sierra Leone, one in four children dies before reaching their fifth birthday. It’s shocking and tragic, especially when the solutions are simple - things like vaccinations against measles or using a mosquito net to reduce the chance of getting malaria. Saving these children’s lives is a top priority for UNICEF and as an ambassador I hope I can help to draw attention to this issue across the world."

And also...

"Surely there is no reward more precious than saving the life of a child? Their futures remain in our hands."

Reuters also made some wonderful pics availble, they are in the gallery. Thanks to all the fans for this heads-up!

Labels: david beckham, david beckham in sierra leone, david beckham with unicef

In recent news, we hear of two new teammates for Becks over at the L.A. Galaxy.

First the team officially announced that Carlos Ruiz returns as LA brokered a deal with FC Dallas to bring Ruiz back to the club in a trade announced last Tuesday morning (1/15/2008).
New Galaxy head coach Rudd Gullit was quoted:

"With the right players around him, especially with (Landon) Donovan and David Beckham giving him crosses, I think he is the exact player we need up front to win games."




Secondly at this time although not officially announced or confirmed by the Galaxy, a number of news outlets are reporting that former Newcastle defender Celestine Babayaro has agreed to a deal to re-unite with his former boss, Rudd Bullit at the L.A. Gallaxy. Here are some links to read on these reports. Setanta Sports , The Shields Gazette , ThisDay Online .Also, TeamTalk and MSLNet are both saying that L.A. Galaxy have refused to comment on the reports.


More Unconfirmed reports that many sites are talking about and that at least one site is "scoffing loudly" at. The reports that seems to have been started by The Mirror claim that "Newcastle United are out to sign David Beckham in a plan hatched by Mike Ashley and backed by Kevin Keegan." Don't hold your breath on this one but if you'd like to read more about the gossip, here are a few more links. Sporting Life and Goal.com.

More Support for Becks 100th Cap.

Sunday mirror is quoting Gareth Barry

"There is no one that deserves it more, and he has been a great player and captain for England so, yes, it would be really great to see that after has come so close."

Lucky Contest Winner Gets to Train With Becks

This Is Lancashire reported the story of a contest winner whose prize was to meet Becks at his academy in London. David Kennedy was one of 20 lucky Motorola competition winners across the country who were invited to train with Beckahm.
He is pictured on the left with his wife Lynne.

DBFO-Site Talk

Thanks.
First, I want to thank everyone who have been voicing their opinions, hopefully we will find a balance of reporting the things that you want to hear while still changing things up a little :) Please continue to give your opinions, suggestions, etc.

Forum
I have mentioned before that there would be a forum going up, at first I thought of installing a regular forum but I am looking into implementing a social network application that I have been studying for a couple months, it includes a Forum section but also has a fully-fledge social network aspect, a chat room and other goodies. I will try to trim it down so it's not too many features and hence could be overwhelming at first... then will post the link here when it's all ready. The downside though is that the forum isn't as full of option as other forum scripts. I will make a decision soon on this, if you'd like to voice your opinions on this, it would be good. 1) social network with forum/chat/other features or 2) just a regular forum as have come to know them. If we do go with 2), we could always add the social aspect at a later time too.

Images and help
The image gallery issue has finally been fixed and I've added some more images. Since there are over 9,000 images in the galleries now, it will be a challenge to import some more images, specially older ones that haven't already been added. So I ask that if you notice any duplicates (although I am trying hard not to) - please let me know so I can remove them. I will try and make this easier by including a link to report "inapropriate or duplicate" images directly from the image page.
Also, I have already posted a request for this but if anyone is interested in helping to write articles or any other way, please email me at franco (at) media-discounters (dot) come. Thanks to those who have already come forward.

Syndication / RSS Feeds
You will notice in the sidebar on the left a new section for an RSS feed. Thanks to the Fan(s) who suggested this. Hopefully it will be of use to many of you. Always let me know if you'd like to see new things.

Labels: Babayaro, beckham teammates, carlos ruiz, david beckham, l.a. galaxy

(Source) ThePeople.co.uk is reporting that Becks is to work on the backing vocals with Snoop Dog for his next single. As many of you already know, David and Snoop have been friends for a while now and seem to be doing more and more business stuff together with talks of developing a line of slippers and now this.

Snoop said: "Me and my boy David come from separate worlds but it's not just business talk - we also chat about our families."

Another article from last week on the metro.co.uk site talks about this and other plans that the duo have. In this article, Snoop is quoted:

"Me and Becks became friends after I met him at the Live 8 concert. We furthered our friendship when he became part of the LA Galaxy."

And:

"Through meeting from that, we continue to talk about doing a lot of things. We got a lot of great ideas. Hopefully one of them will come to light. Like movies, footwear, things of that nature that are different and bringing us both together. We try and combine his world and my world and something that is appealing to everybody"

I think that's great. Two big names like that, whatever they decide to do together will get a lot of attention even if it wouldn't be good :)

World-Class Smile

(source)David Beckham was given the honnor of having world's second best male celebrity smile by The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). In first place was Brad Pitt.

Labels: david beckham, david beckham and snoop dog, david beckham rapping

(source) Becks arrived late Friday from a two day trip to Sierra Leone where he will visit a number of UNICEF programmes in the northern part of the country on malaria prevention and immunisation.
The country is still struggling to recover from a 1991-2002 civil war during which more than 50,000 people were killed during the civil war and thousands more were left mutilated by rebels.
David is there as a guest of Unicef as part of his role as a Goodwill Ambassador for the organization.

Trivia Question

(source) If you can answer the following question: David Beckham won his first England cap in 1996 but who were the oppsotion that day? You could win a free £50 free bet from easyodds.com Simply email your answer to COMPETITION@EASYODDS.COM

Auction

There's a supposedly match-worn Beckham jersey for sale on ebay Click here to place your bid
Here is the description from the auction:

Selling is a match worn LA GALAXY BECKHAM jersey from the invitational game against SYDNEY F.C @ stadium Australia on November 27th 2007 in front of 79,825 fans.

The jersey is Long sleeve FORMOTION wear ADIDAS only issued to players and has the larger style numbers compared to fan shop issue. Jersey was obtained from a Sydney F.C official the jersey was worn in the 1st half.

As a bonus for international fans it comes with the Match program and if required photos from the game i have about 20 of these upon request only as well as the match ticket and the match sponsors HYUNDAI unlimited access pass.

Good Luck bidders. I post worldwide.

Click here to place your bid.

Labels: david beckham, david beckham in sierra leone, david beckham unicef

David Beckham (L) Fabio Capello (R)

(Source) Becks was apparently absent because of being ill when coach Fabio Capello visited Arsenal's London Colney training complex on Thursday. Capello was on-site for a tour of the faicilities as he will use them to prepare his England squad for their first match against Switzerland next month.At this time, I have been unable to have more details on beck's situation, if any fan come across info regarding this, please pass it along so I can update other fans.
*Interesting to note that there are also rumors of his wife, Victoria vomited on stage in a concert (Unconfirmed rumors to my knowledge)... maybe she passed the flu on to Becks? :)

UPDATE: Thanks to Fans for pointing out that he was en-route to Sierra Leone ona 2 day trip where he arrived on late Friday. So this must be the real reason for missing the meeting.
Also - the rumors about Victoria aren't true, seems it was a little blogger having fun :)

McClaren Wants Beckham To Get his 100th Cap

ESPN and other news sites quoted ex-England coach Steve McClaren on support our David Beckham for getting his 100th Cap, he's not the first one, just adds to the growing list of people who think along the same lines. Here's what he had to say:
'I sincerely hope he gets it,' said McClaren. 'He deserves it, he's worked hard. He would have achieved it already but for injuries at the end of the campaign. 'It's a friendly, he knows the manager. I think the whole country would like to see it as well.'The coach who had controversially dropped Beckham for his first game in charge of England seems to be expecting big things from him this year.

'I've said it to him and I've spoken to other people - it's like a new signing all over again,' said McClaren. 'Although you've had the furore of David Beckham coming over off the field, now you get David Beckham on the field and that can only be good for MLS.'

Thierry Replaces Beckham as New Face of Gillette

(Source) Our star apparently parted with his supposedly lucrative deal with Gilette because his terms couldn't be met. He will be replace Thierry Henry. It's believed Becks wanted a cut of the profit and that this couldn't be met by Gillette. Probably their loss though, hopefully another smarter company snaps him up and gives him what he wants :). Gillette may be "the best a man can get" but I'm sure it's not the best Beckham can get :)

UPDATE: Thanks for pointing out this is old new fans, I guess it got news coverage again because of Thierry Henry getting the contract.

David Beckham Voted Cleanest Male Celebrity!

Becks was voted cleanest male celebrity by a poll conducted by SoCal Cleansing solution! Lets all hear it for his outstanding personal hygiene :). According to the site, the winner received the
"SoCal Cleanse Cleanest Celebrity Award".

David Beckham Teams Up With Snoop Dog To "Save Lives" in Crime Ridden Areas

(Source) In another display of kind human spirit, Becks joined hands with the popular rapper to start a campaign aimed at "saving lives" in California's poorest and most crime-ridden neighbourhoods by introducing youngsters to sport.

Snoop Dog was quoted as saying:

"We're going to be trying to save lives. We will be going in to do different things and I hope someone cares,”

and about Becks:

"We have a lot of things in mind and a lot of things in common as well as both having three kids,” he said.

“Like me, he wants to do whatever he can to help other, less fortunate kids. I like the guy's style...,”

Labels: beckham 100th cap, beckham gillette, beckham ill, david beckham

Singapore's news site Electric New Paper posted an interview today with Nicolas Anelka where he was questioned on Becks

"Beckham's 100th cap for England. Do you think Capello should give it to him?

Will it just be a one-off or will he continue to be in England's squad?"


To which Anelka responded: "Yes I do, without a question of a doubt. He has been a great servant for England, David Beckham, and he deserves it. If I were Capello I would then ceremoniously retire him from the national team.

These are the best part of three years until the next World Cup and Fabio should be concentrating the entire team around building a side for that tournament.
Will Beckham be involved at the age of 35? I don't think so. Go out on top, David!"

Personally I like the first part of his response but not really the second part. To me he seems in top shape and that's certainly a decision he should make himself. Hey it's just another player's opinion, certainly not everyone else's I'm sure :). Still nice of him for his kind words regarding the 100th cap :)

A little shopping a the Gap

(source) Beckham did a little shopping at the Gap with the family on Wednesday. Nice to see doing this kind of what could be considered "normal family stuff", must not feel very normal with all the papparazis but they're probably used to it and kudos to them for not letting that affect their going out with the kids for a little family Gap shopping :)

Victoria Proud of David in Armani Billboard Ad

Victoria was quoted as saying:

"I'm proud to see his penis 25ft tall. It looks great. It's enormous, it's
the whole side of a building. It's huge. I'm proud of him." and "If I looked
like that I’d walk down the street in my panties too."

Here's a video of the interview:

Labels: beckham with family, david beckham, david beckham at the gap, victoria's opinion of the armani ad

The Halifax Courier reported an amusing bit that testifies to just how popular David Beckham really is. According to the site thecomparisons.com, David Beckham is one of the most used "fake names" when people fill out things like car quote applications, mailing list applications, etc.
He joins the likes of James Bond, Marylyn Monroe and Bob Marley!


Here is the list of the most widely used fake names out there :)

1) Joe Bloggs – 48 per cent
2) James Bond – 11 per cent
3) Fred Bloggs – 10 per cent
4) Bob Marley – 7 per cent
5) Ben Dover – 7 per cent
6) Jo Bloggs – 6 per cent
7) Bob Builder – 4 per cent
8) Fred Flintstone – 3 per cent
9) David Beckham – 2 per cent
10) Marylyn Monroe – 1 per cent

Blog Updated

Becks updated his blog today.

"Hi everyone,

I’m sure you have seen it in most places but I was very proud and honoured last week, to be invited to Downing Street to meet the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.
Mr Brown then returned the favour by visiting my Academy in Greenwich on Thursday and seeing the facilities for himself. I gave him the tour of the venue and he also met some of the children that were taking part as part of the Schools Programme. We both had a great question and answer session with them, which was really good fun.
Away from the Academy I’ve been continuing my training at Arsenal’s London Colney ground. I’ve been doing some work with the squad as well as plenty of gym work to build up my fitness in advance of the new season.

That’s all for now.

Speak to you soon

David"

Does David Spoil Brooklyn Too Much?

Now Magazine quoted Kerry Katona as writing in her diary:
'David Beckham has apparently bought Brooklyn an iPhone which is totally ridiculous,'
I say... PFFT! He can buy him whatever he wants, maybe his child is more popular than yours and has a lot of friends to keep in touch with :)

Tom Cruise Recruiting The Beckhams?

A number of sites are talking about the relationship between Tom Cruise has with Victoria and David Beckham. They've been friends for years it seems and it's now reported that Tom with his plans of trying to recruit high profile celebrities to join the Scientology religion is now on a mission to recruit the Beckhams. Ok fine, if they would join, I think that's their personal choice and I think everyone will be ok with that and accept his decision. Just as long as he doesn't start jumping on Oprah's coach or doing any of the other crazy and odd things Tom's been reported as doing in recent years :/.

Missing / lack of images?

We are having a few minor troubles with the gallery section that we are having sorted out by the datacenter. Missing images as well as new ones will be updated in the next day or two. Thanks for your patience :)

Labels: brooklyn beckham, david beckham, david beckham and tom cruise, iphone, scientology, victoria beckham

Beckham (L) and Coach Capello (R)


(Source) Coach Fabio Capello, in a press release today, warned that Beckham and Terry will not be given any special treatments.

Fabio who will name his first England squad just a day ahead of the friendly Match at Wembley on February 6th, was quoted as saying:

"All managers have sentiment but they also need to take decisions,"

And

"Beckham is important for England and can still give a lot, but as everybody knows, all the players are equally important to me and start from the same position, including David Beckham."

Statements that are sure to make any fan a bit worried, specially the dedicated ones on DBFO. We will cover developments on this closely :)

For those interested to read further on this story, here are links to other news sites with articles:
Telegraph, Guardian, and Sporting Life .

'Becks has foot fetish?'

Snoop Dog (L) and Beckham (R)

(Source) Well more precisely, slippers :) As one fan reported in the comments section here a few days ago, it looks like this is really going to happen. A number of news source reported the agreement between Snoop and Becks to design these slippers, including the PR Inside New Release site. No word yet on the release date or what they will look like but it sure will be interesting to follow!

'In other news'

Sorry it's not some more Becks news :), this is just to say hello to everyone. My name is Franco and I'm the new webmaster taking over for Anna. You all seem like very friendly bunch so I'm sure I will enjoy this journey with you and make friends along the way. Thanks for those who have already welcomed me with opened arms.

I must say though, this is my first Post. It wasn't as easy as I thought, as Anna has left very big shoes to fill. I'll probably have a different style of doing things, so hopefully that will be an exciting change of pace :)

I'm sure the quality of the posts won't be as good in the beginning so you'll have to forgive me while I get used to this. Your suggestions & comments are certainly welcomed.

My main business is being a web developer so you can expect some additions to the site. What is there now is already good in my opinion... I will be adding more things like a discussion forum so all you cool people can hang out and chill and talk about Becks :).

If you have any questions, comments or whatever, please email me at franco at media-discounters dot com (replace at with @ and dot come with .com and remove the spacing, I put it this way so the spam bots don't find my email and spam me to death :) )

I am also looking for people who are interested in contributing to the site in any way. Writing news articles for the blog, being involved in the future forum (perhaps as a moderator or otherwise) or anything else really. If you have some things you'd like to see done too, I'd like to hear about those.

So here's to a new adventure. Cheers :)

Labels: david beckham, david beckham and snoop dog, david beckham and snoop dog slippers, david beckham slippers, fabio capello

(Source) England captain, John Terry has shown his support for David Beckham saying, "David has been in great form for England since he has come back. It's great to see him training at Arsenal and ticking over."

"He is fit and has many years ahead of him. He is a great player and a great lad to have around the place. We hope that not only does he play his 100th, but many more after that."

He also said, "It would be great for David's family for him to have the armband, that would top the night off for him. But it doesn't matter who is captain. It's a decision I will fully respect....The most important thing is making England great again."

"If Fabio Capello wants David Beckham to be the new skipper, I’m fine with it."

'I take these'

Manchester United legend Bryan Robson has revealed how he first was put in his place by a young Becks!

Robson gave a speech at the Football Writers' Tribute Dinner for David Beckham and he revealed, "There I was, captain of Manchester United, captain of England and I was coming back from injury and found myself playing for the reserves with the likes of Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Becks against a team of bruisers from Liverpool.

I'm lining up a free-kick and suddenly I hear this voice ... 'Er, Bryan, I take these,' it said. The next thing you know, whoosh, and the ball's in the back of the net."

Emporio Armani Website

The Emporio Armani website has added flash of David Beckham's new Armani Ads online here. We've seen the ads already but they do mention that they will be adding video footage this spring of Becks in the latest Emporio Armani underwear!

Finally, for anyone who missed it there was a nice article about Becks appeal in The Mirror, thanks to Diane for the link.

David Beckham and his son Brooklyn took in the Arsenal v Birmingham City match this afternoon. They had a great view of the action with seats right behind the Arsenal dug-out. Photos are in the gallery.

Vote for Becks

The FA have opened voting for the 2007 England player of the year. Please vote for Becks here. You will need to register but it doesn't take too long and it's worth it to support Becks. Thanks to Ben for the heads up!

Lennon learnt a lot from Becks

(source) Here's a quote from Aaron Lennon from today's Sun -

Lennon said: “I was surprised when David came back into the team because the manager had more or less said he wasn’t going to use him.

“But it was the right decision because, in my opinion, he should never have been out of the squad in the first place. He showed that by creating a lot of England’s goals when he came back."

“He is such an important player for England. He’s got quality, experience and his free-kicks alone make him worthy of his place."

“He’s a different player to me. I rely on speed to get that yard of pace to cross. He uses his brain and movement."

“I learned so much from David just from training with him every day during the World Cup. So he definitely deserves to win his 100th cap next month as a reward for everything he has done for football in this country”

Even if that comes at Lennon’s expense?

“Well, maybe we can have half a game each.”

Other news

The Daily Mail reports that Becks might appear at the closing ceremony of the August 2008 Beijing Olympics to invite the world to the London Olympics in 2012. It is not yet confirmed but it's one to keep an eye out for closer to the time!

On a personal note, I wanted to let you know that I will be going travelling around the world for a year, very soon. I finally ran out of papers to fail and so that makes me a graduate :)

I would like to thank everyone who has visited and supported the site so far and I hope you will continue to do so! I am handing it over to a very professional and capable webmaster, who I'm sure will take it from strength to strength.

I would like to make a special mention of those people who have gone above and beyond in their contributions and whose help and words have meant a lot to me over the last 18 months, Ben, Diane, notoriousmvp, Loredana, Samuel and Gabriel, Marie, Syd, Julie, Pru, Duyen Vo, Ruby and Lulu your kindness and support has been truly appreciated. Thank you and take care everyone!

Update - There is a great article about David Beckham in The Telegraph



British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited the David Beckham Academy today. Photos are in the gallery.

The Youtube clip above was released by Downing St. You can watch a clip of Becks being interviewed by the BBC on youtube here. There is also a clip of PM Brown taking part in a Q & A session with the children from the Hillyfields primary school on Becks official site.

(Source) Speaking after showing Prime Minister Gordon Brown around his football academy in Greenwich, London, David Beckham said, "I was proud to be involved in 2012 and being involved in 2018 is something I would be very interested in too.

Being English, to bring the World Cup back to England would be something really special and I would be honoured to be involved in that."

PM Brown has thrown his weight behind the 2018 bid and said although it was a matter for the FA, Becks enjoyed respect across