Before David Beckham was a fashion mogul and before he married one of the Spice Girls, he was a talented youngster working up the ladder at Manchester United and the England National Team. Even before he came to America to save soccer in the States, he was just a player, not yet a household name and a global brand.
Steve Tongue does a tremendous job with his most recent book, David Beckham: 50 Defining Fixtures, avoiding the pitfalls of becoming just another football book. Steve McClaren contributes an impressive foreword that shares his perspective and thoughts on Beckham, while Tongue’s own introduction frames the discussion nicely and gets things started on the right foot.
With a player as legendary as Beckham, there are so many great games to choose from. You have to give it to Tongue as he did a great job with this, choosing a variety of “defining matches,” games that made Beckham the icon he is today.
The book is a comprehensive journey through Beckham’s illustrious club and international career, starting with the Milk Cup in 1991 and wrapping up in Ligue 1 in 2013. His time in England, France, Italy, and the U.S. is covered in the most appropriate amount of detail.
Tongue doesn‘t drone on for 10 or 20 pages about just one game, rather he provides a snapshot of 50 matches that made a difference in Beckham’s footballing career. There is a lot of information in the 160 pages of this book. It is an enjoyable and yet easy read, a wonderful way to remember David Beckham, the player with endless talent and potential.
Yes, books that describe defining matches or moments are quite the fad nowadays, being quite common angles on the traditional biography. Yet this one is worth the purchase thanks to a talented writer and an amazing career to review. It is worthwhile now and will be so for many years as fans and supporters look back at the career of a footballer named David Beckham.
Tongue easily proves he is the right man for this job, having seen Beckham’s first match with Manchester United in 1992 and intimately following his career ever since. Honestly you can’t go wrong with this one.
