On the field or off it, his presence is akin to bringing a classic British car out of the garage for a special occasion. He’s the E-Type Jaguar of football. When he winds up that outstretched left arm, plants his left foot and pulls the trigger to unleash a precision chip, inswinging corner or thunderous shot, you can’t help but admire his form. Even his running style is distinctive, made famous by tireless displays for club and country.

It’s like watching Michael Jordan hanging in the air with his tongue out, or Tiger Woods hitting a stinger straight out of the grooves of his two-iron with the trademark twirl of the grip at the top of the backswing.

‘Do you know what, they’re always on at me, Leo [Messi], Luis [Suárez], Jordi [Alba], Sergio [Busquets]. They will turn around and say, “Come on, come on, join in!”’

That famous kilowatt smile spreads across his face. ‘The funny thing was, the other day I was kicking a ball around for Adidas, doing some filming for my new Predator boots. I was doing some free kicks, pinging some long passes and I got overly excited. I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but I grew up in an era where I didn’t really do much warming up or stretching. So, it wasn’t unusual just taking some balls on the halfway line and pinging them into the goal or on to the crossbar.

‘I got to the fifth, six and seventh – on the eighth one, I pinged it, and I was like, “Oh shit, my quad!” The guy filming asked if I could do a couple more. I was like, “No, I think we got it!”’

I’m sitting with David in an RV outside Neasden Film Studios on a cold, grey morning in north-west London. If we were about to play a match and I was the physio, I’d be handing him some wintergreen rub and telling him to have a thorough stretch to protect those precious quads.

He drove to the Men’s Health shoot, arriving 40 minutes early in possibly the most beautiful car I’ve ever seen – a racing-green Rolls-Royce. He tells me it’s ‘very comfy’ when I joke about moving into it for six months.

Despite the amazing car and the army of people preparing the shoot, Beckham requested a modest rider – with his tattooed hand dipping into the salt and vinegar Kettle Chips after a few hours under the glare of the cameras. He might train hard and look after himself, but it clearly doesn’t come at the expense of enjoying a decent bag of crisps.

He’s earned a reputation for being a joy to work with on occasions like this. It’s a technique he picked up in his early days at Manchester United from legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. I worked with a photographer who recalls a teenage Beckham going to the back of a charter flight, where the press were sitting, and asking if they wanted any drinks brought up from the front of the plane. He even smuggled them some of the more expensive biscuits. Even at that early stage, pre-first-team fame, he was making allies and influencing people.

‘I definitely learned a lot about leadership from Sir Alex Ferguson. I think I’ve taken that into my business,’ he tells me. ‘I’m sometimes first in the office and the last out. The staff see how I work.

‘In business, I think it’s always been about how you treat people. That’s why I’ve got a great team,’ he says, proudly. ‘I don’t like an atmosphere in an office, I don’t like an atmosphere in a team. I don’t like aggression. You always treat people with respect – doesn’t matter who it is it, from the guy on the door to the lawyers or the accountant.’

Within minutes, he’s got the whole set in Neasden onside. Shaking hands, introducing himself. He has an uncanny ability to make you feel like a long-lost pal.

THE DARK GREY SKIES of London couldn’t be more different to those of our previous encounter in August 2024, when I visited Beckham at Inter Miami to see how the next phase of his MLS dream was playing out. It was incredible to see the stadium packed with fans in pink, with Beckham on the sidelines in his club blazer and tie, entertaining his guests – including legendary quarterback Tom Brady. This was Beckham the businessman. The owner. The off-field leader, building another chapter of his story in football by growing the beautiful game in America.

I couldn’t help thinking how far he had come since his first break on a football pitch, playing on loan from Manchester United for Preston North End against midfield bruisers such as Terry Hurlock in Millwall’s notorious ground, The Den.

The road had to start somewhere for David Beckham, as it does for all elite athletes. And 12 years on from retirement, the right midfielder who inherited United’s famous number seven jersey from the likes of George Best and Eric Cantona – or, later in his career, number 23, inspired by Michael Jordan – is surveying the price he paid for all that physical punishment as he heads towards a landmark birthday.

‘Do you know what, my body’s actually feeling better than it has done for a long time,’ he admits with a glint of genuine surprise in eyes. ‘People ask where I feel it the most – is it my knees or my ankles? My achilles was a bad injury towards the end of my playing career but it never troubles me now, despite rupturing it.’

With a slight wince, he admits, ‘It’s actually my back and left hip that give me the most grief. I’ve had it X-rayed, MRI’d – it’s just wear and tear.’

On 2 May, David Beckham will hit half a century. For perspective, when he entered this world in 1975, the Bay City Rollers topped the UK album chart and the Betamax video-taping system launched in Japan.

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There was also a total lunar eclipse – unrelated to the star being born at Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone, east London. When Sandra Beckham went into labour, little did she know her son would become one of the most famous athletes on the planet.

For a man who’s gone on to achieve so much (19 major trophies, in case you need any reminding), it’s no wonder he’s content with reaching the second half of an incredible life. So, is the back nine of life fazing him at all? Is the 5-0 more than just a number?

‘Doesn’t bother me one bit,’ he says, without hesitation. ‘People are asking me about it gently, like it should be a big issue. 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.’

There’s a moment of realisation for men when it dawns on us that Russell Crowe was 36 when he played Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator in 2000. How can we possibly be older than him? How is it possible for David Beckham to be 50? He looks like he could still play in the MLS. ‘I’m really happy,’ he says. ‘I’ve got the business and an amazing family. My kids are working hard and they’ve all got passions – that’s what’s important to me.’

IT HASN’T EXACTLY BEEN an easy journey, as anyone who has followed Beckham’s football career knows. The long period that began in the summer of 1998 could have sunk a less resilient human being.

He had been sent off against Argentina in the quarter final of France 98 for kicking Diego Simeone. England went on to lose on penalties, which some fans, and sections of the media, blamed on him.

It was only in the 93rd minute of a World Cup qualifier against Greece in October 2001 that he finally won over his most ferocious critics. They held their breath in anticipation as their captain placed the ball on the famous Old Trafford turf, composed himself, then struck the most incredible free kick past the despairing Greek goalkeeper to secure a 2-2 draw.

What happened next didn’t just send the Three Lions to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, it marked redemption for a young player who at one point had his effigy burned on a London lamppost.

All of that in an era when the game placed painful demands on the body, too. In a standard season, with European, domestic and international fixtures, Beckham would play in excess of 90 minutes at least 50 times.

Recalling the treatment-table trauma, he says, ‘Unfortunately, I did have a lot of injections and I don’t think it’s a good thing.

‘I think that’s probably why certain parts of my body were a real mess. My last game at Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, I had three cortisone injections in my ankle and my achilles purely to play… I’ve had cortisone injections in my back, too.

‘I actually broke my back. I was living in LA and cracked my spine. I had pain after a game, I went for a scan and they couldn’t find anything wrong with it. I was insisting there was something not right there – I could feel it. So they injected me with dye and then it came up. It was a bad one.

‘I broke my wrist in South Africa and I still get issues with it. I was told that it was a dissolvable screw. Turns out it wasn’t, so I’ve still got it.’

Looking after his battle-scarred body is clearly a priority today. We’re meeting around the launch of his premium nutrition brand, IM8, which includes an all-in-one powdered supplement with 92 ingredients.

David Beckham Through the Years

Open Gallery

‘Over the years, I’ve never been the best at taking supplements,’ he confesses. ‘You know, Victoria would always put them out for me, and I’d always forget or I’d think, “There’s 16 tablets there – I just can’t be bothered.” I’m better at taking supplements now, I’m better at taking a protein shake, I’m better at looking after myself.’

He hopes to alleviate some of the damage he’s done over the years. ‘It’s the reason that I wanted to create IM8. I was fed up with going into the pharmacy or a health shop and there were so many supplements, so many tablets, so many powders,’ he says. ‘One person saying one thing is the best and others would disagree. IM8 works for me. Gut health, energy, focus – all of it is improved.’

By his own admission, nutrition was laughed out of the Old Trafford training ground in the early days of his career. Dietary advice would be dismissed by the players, and then they’d go back to their steak and chips, with jam roly-poly for dessert. ‘And that was every lunch,’ Beckham says.

He embraced nutrition once he understood the reasoning behind it and the difference it could make to his performance. ‘Cooking is a real passion for me now,’ he says. ‘It’s something I’m so proud of.’ On social media, he’s given fans tours of his home in the Cotswolds, complete with a chicken coop, a vegetable patch and beehives.

‘When we harvest the honey and I’m sat there in my kitchen looking at it all, I get quite emotional,’ he says. ‘I turn to my kids looking for respect and they’re like, “Yeah, whatever, Dad.” It’s so satisfying for me, though.’

THESE DAYS, BECKHAM KEEPS HIMSELF in outrageously good shape with the help of his friend and former Team GB judoka Bobby Rich. You can see their camaraderie when Bobby turns up for the shoot. He describes Beckham as ‘a coach’s dream’ – which sounds about right for someone famed for his meticulous attention to detail.

Beckham jokes, ‘I think he’s lying about that! Me and Bob are good friends and that helps, because I like to enjoy it when I work out.’

Strict insurance during his playing career deprived Beckham of enjoying so many of his passions – not just motorbikes, but also snowboarding and surfing. Life in Miami has opened up a new routine, which satisfies that competitive streak from his playing days. ‘I play padel three times a week and work out every day – especially when I’m in Miami,’ he says.

The work he does in the gym has changed considerably, too. During his playing career, he says, the only strength work he did was lower body. ‘It was never upper body. I didn’t have pecs until I met Bob. You could say I’ve gone up a few cup sizes as a result. I never really had a desire to, either. I wanted to be as lean as I could. But since retiring, I’ve put a bit of meat in my pecs.

‘I used to hate pull-ups with a passion. I could literally only do two or three. Now, we do them most days. I feel good.’

Over the past eight years, Beckham has trained with a group of pals, including film director Guy Ritchie. At one point, Beckham was hooked on SoulCycle, hammering two sessions of cardiovascular punishment on the spin bike per day.

In London, that progressed to sessions at Barry’s Bootcamp and the odd visit to circuits and boxing gym Kobox. A brief spell of jiu-jitsu, for an entirely different fitness experience, was called off when another mutual pal, ‘Judo Jim’, inadvertently wrecked Beckham’s neck with some over-exuberance on the mat.

But the real secret is playing on the competitive spirit throughout the Beckham family. When he plays the boys at snooker, pool or table tennis, he might let them win a game – but seldom the match. They’ve given heli-skiing a go, which pushed them all to their limits. ‘That was hard work – digging yourself out of snow, ending up in a tree, it’s a real test of fitness.’

His kids began skiing and snowboarding before he did, and it took him three or four ‘painful days’ to learn. ‘Not being able to be on a snowboard for my whole career, and then going on it when I retired – it’s my favourite holiday of all time,’ he says with another beaming grin. ‘I can have a bit of anonymity and there’s fresh air.

‘Me and my boys, we’re the first up and the last off the slope. It’s the best part, having those chats on the lifts. You get into them. The kids can’t go on their phones, they’re just sat there and we’re all chatting – it’s amazing.

‘I try to get competitive with the boys, but when you start getting older you notice they’re getting quicker and more agile. When they got to 18 years old, I really noticed they were flying down the mountain. I tried to keep up with them, but they’re quite good with letting me keep up.’

Victoria is a little more cautious these days, he says. ‘She doesn’t ski as much, because I think when you get that little bit older, you’re very aware that you can hurt yourself. I’m not at that point yet. I’m not sure I’ll ever get to that point – I’m pretty sure I’ll still be trying to go down the slope at 70.’

The partner workout doesn’t sing with every couple, but it seems to click for David and Victoria, despite her love of the humbling StairMaster and Versaclimber – two of his gym pet hates.

‘I’ve been trying to get Victoria to work out with Bob for years and she finally agreed. We now do five days a week, sometimes six, together. I love training with Victoria. We give each other plenty of grief. She’s not very good at listening to Bobby… She does her own thing. She’s not great at resting. He’ll give her a 90-second rest and she’ll be ready to go after 25.’

I COUNT MYSELF lucky to have spent a fair amount of time in Beckham’s company in the past 20 of his 50 years on the planet. I was the showbusiness editor of The Sun newspaper, which devoted countless column inches to the Beckhams on the front, back and middle pages.

In 2006, I spent a weekend in Madrid with the couple before they moved to LA. It was a PR masterstroke – I’m not ashamed to say they completely won me over, letting their guard down over dinner and drinks, inviting my wife along for the weekend, too.

I remember bumping into Beckham by chance months later and he remembered the football team my father-in-law was managing and plenty of other details about my life he’d be perfectly entitled to forget.

Beckham changes the temperature of a room. People genuinely stop and jaws drop – often for them to regain their composure when he makes eye contact, shakes a hand and asks, with authentic interest, how they are getting on.

On the day of the Men’s Health cover shoot, all of the staff marvel at his professionalism. He blasts out some wide-grip pull-ups, showing great definition in his lats and impressive abs for a man who likes to cook. It doesn’t take Mario Testino to appreciate that he’s naturally photogenic.

Even when he slips back into his regular clothes, ready to pick up his daughter, Harper, from school, you can’t help thinking he looks cover-worthy. It would be quite annoying if he wasn’t so affable.

The milestone birthday might not be causing sleepless nights for Beckham, but there’s one upcoming life event that’s troubling him: the empty nest. In just over five years’ time, he’ll complete his last school run. ‘We’re not quite there yet, but it’s actually painful,’ he says. ‘We’ve gone from having four in the house to one.’

The self-confessed ‘neat freak’ even admits he’s already missing the boys’ cluttered bedrooms. ‘What I would give to have that back and be able to walk in, moaning to them about it! That said, my boys are pretty good. They’ll always ask me to the pub when they go with their mates.’

If Beckham is an example of a guy going into phase two of life, I’ll have what he’s having. The French writer Victor Hugo said, ‘Forty is the old age of youth, fifty the youth of old age.’

Well, the youth of old age is suiting David Beckham like a pair of his trademark Adidas Predator boots.

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Our new issue is out on 4th March, but you can read our David Beckham exclusive early by heading to the Men’s Health UK homepage. Subscribe now by clicking here.

Our new Editor-at-Large, Gordon Smart, is an award-winning broadcaster and journalist. He hosts Weeknights and Sunday evenings on BBC Radio 5 Live and his podcast Restless Natives, with actor Martin Compston, has had 1.4 million listens.
Gordon made his name in journalism as the youngest Showbiz Editor of The Sun and the youngest Editor of The Scottish Sun. On TV, he has anchored Good Morning Britain and is a regular presenter and host on BBC Morning Live.