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H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB

Type	Publicly traded Aktiebolag (OMX: HM B)
Industry	Retailing
Founded	Västerås, Sweden (1947 as "Hennes")
Headquarters	Stockholm, Kingdom of Sweden
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Stefan Persson (Chairman), Karl-Johan Persson (President and CEO)
Products	Clothing, accessories
Revenue	SEK 126.97 billion (2010)[1]
Operating income	SEK 24.66 billion (2010)[1]
Profit	SEK 18.68 billion (2010)[1]
Employees	59,440 (FTE, 2010 average)[1]
Website	www.hm.com

H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (operating as H&M) is a Swedish global retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children.

It has over 2,300 stores in 43 countries and as of 2011 employed around 94,000 people.^[2] It is ranked the second largest global clothing retailer, just behind Spain-based Inditex (parent company of ZARA), and leads over third largest global clothing retailer, United States based GAP Inc.

The design team in the company’s Sweden office controls the steps of production from merchandise planning to establishing specifications, and production is outsourced to approximately 800 factories in Europe and Asia. These facilities are used for horizontal division of labor rather than being integrated.^[3]

The company worldwide[link]

Number of stores as of 30 November 2011^[4]

Asia[link]

H&M store in the Ginza district in Tokyo, Japan

The company opened its first Asian store (also the company's first franchise) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2006. It followed with a store in the Salmiya district of Kuwait City, Kuwait.

The first Israeli store was opened in Tel Aviv in 2010, followed by five more stores across the country. More stores are expected to open, mainly in the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area.^[9]

It expanded into East Asia in March 2007, with its first store opening in Central Hong Kong on 10 March 2007. Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue opened that store where she also exclusively launched her range of swimwear, "H&M loves Kylie".

The first location in Shanghai, China, was opened in 2007.^{[citation needed]}

The first Japanese store was opened in Ginza on 13 September 2008, while a second store was opened in Harajuku in November 2008. Another store was opened in the Shibuya shopping district on 19 September 2009.^[10]

On 25 February 2009, the company announced that it had signed an agreement to open its first store in South Korea, located in the Myeongdong district of Seoul, and that it was scheduled to open during Spring 2010.^[11]

The company will open the first store in Singapore in Autumn 2011, to be located on Orchard Road.^[12]

Europe[link]

H&M store at the Pavilions Shopping Centre, Birmingham, UK.

H&M store in Angers, France (May 2010).

H&M store on Briggate in Leeds, England (May 2010).

H&M store in Sheffield City centre

Map of H&M stores in the U.K. and Ireland, as of August 2011.

Its first non-Swedish store was opened in Norway in 1964,^[13] and from then onwards, the company embarked upon a major expansion program opening many further stores in Europe, including Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The first H&M store to open outside of Scandinavia was in the United Kingdom, in 1976^[14]. And this year H&M is planning to go back north - the opening of two new stores in Riga is announced^[15].

In the 1990s, its first stores opened in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, the Netherlands and Spain. In Portugal the first store opened in 2003, in Chiado, Lisboa. The company has continued to expand its business and the company has an extensive network throughout much of Europe. Germany is the company's largest market (with 377 stores as of 2011), followed by the United Kingdom (with 192 stores as of 2011) and then Sweden (with 168 stores as of 2011).^[14]

In Europe, online shopping is available in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Austria and the UK.

Croatia[link]

Croatia is the second European country that isn't in The European Union where H&M opened their store. On 7 and 14 April 2011, first two stores were opened in Croatia in the exclusive Cvjetni shopping center in Zagreb and in the Arena Centar, near the Zagreb Arena. On 25 August 2011 store was opened in City Center One, Split, on 8 September 2011 store was opened in Zadar and on 15 September 2011 store was opened in City Center One, Zagreb. On 20 October 2011 store was opened in Westgate Shopping City.

Russia[link]

On 13 March 2009, the company opened its first location in Russia, in the Metropolis mall in Moscow, near the Moscow Metro Voykovskaya station. On 20 March 2009, it opened a second Russian location in the MEGA Family Shopping Centre in Khimki. On 22 October 2009, a third location opened in the MEGA Family Shopping Centre in Belaya Dacha. On 18 October 2009, a store was opened in Rostokino at the Golden Babylon shopping centre, Europe's largest^{[citation needed]} shopping centre.

North America[link]

Canada[link]

The company opened its first Canadian store in March 2004. There are currently^[when?] fifty-six stores in Canada, including Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec.

United States[link]

H&M store on 125th Street in New York City, United States (unknown date; pre April 2006).

Map of H&M stores in the U.S., as of August 2011.

As of August 2010, the company had nearly two hundred individual stores in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

It had opened its first U.S. store in New York City, on Fifth Avenue (at 51st Street) in March 2000; as of January 2011, nine additional stores in city's Manhattan borough alone.^{[citation needed]}

On 18 March 2010, the company opened its first store in North Carolina at the Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh.^{[citation needed]}

In October 2010, plans were announced for it to open its first Texas location in Dallas.^[16] The Dallas store opened 19 August 2011 at the North Park Mall off of 75 in North Dallas. http://www.wfaa.com/news/consumer/H--M-store--128026228.html

The company opened in The Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on 5 November 2010.^{[citation needed]}

On 11 November 2010, it opened its first Oregon location at the Pioneer Place in Portland.^{[citation needed]}

In 2011, H&M opened a flagship store in Denver, Colorado and also announced that it would open other locations in the Carolinas in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.^[17]

Online Shopping

On 27 January 2011, H&M announced through its official Twitter account that there will be online shopping available to USA customers at the turn of 2011/2012.^{[citation needed]}

Oceania[link]

Australia[link]

Although the company as of June 2012 has no stores in Australia, in April 2007, Kylie Minogue teamed up with the company to introduce a swimwear line called, "H&M loves Kylie", featuring a theme of Australia. "When we think of Australia and glamour, we think Kylie, who is such a stylish person," the company's design head Margareta van den Bosch said in a statement.^[18]

Marketing[link]

In 2008, the company used the song "Hang On" by British singer-songwriter Lettie as background music to its UK website. Their fashions have been featured in an interactive fashion art film by Imagine Fashion called Decadent Control. It premiered in March 2011 and stars Roberto Cavalli, Kirsty Hume, Eva Herzigová and Brad Kroenig.

Guest-designer collaborations[link]

In November 2004, selected company stores offered an exclusive collection by fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. The press reported large crowds and that the initial inventories in the larger cities were sold out within an hour,^[19] although the clothes were still available in less-fashion-sensitive areas until the company redistributed them to meet with demand.^[20]

In November 2005, the company launched a collection by Stella McCartney and, in November 2006, by avant-garde Dutch designers Viktor & Rolf.

In March 2007, it launched another collaboration designed by the pop star Madonna.^[21] In June 2007 the company worked with game developers Maxis to create a stuff pack for the latter's The Sims 2 computer game, H&M Fashion Stuff.^[22]

In November 2007, the company launched a collection by Italian designer Roberto Cavalli. It was reported that the clothing sold out very quickly. Also in 2007, another design with Kylie Minogue was launched in Shanghai, China.^[18] In the fall of 2008 the Japanese company Comme des Garçons was selected as guest designer.

For spring and summer 2009, the British designer Matthew Williamson created two exclusive ranges for the company – the first being a collection of women's clothes released in selected stores. The second collection saw Williamson branch into menswear for the first time, only in selected stores. The second collection also featured swimwear for men and women and was available in every company store worldwide.^[23]

On 14 November 2009, the company released a limited-edition diffusion collection by Jimmy Choo featuring shoes and handbags, ranging from £30 to £170 including a range of men's shoes. The collection also included clothing designed by Choo for the first time, many garments made from suede and leather, and was available in 200 stores worldwide, including London's Oxford Circus store.^[24] Sonia Rykiel also collaborated with the company, by designing a ladies knitwear and lingerie range that was released in selected company stores on 5 December 2009.

For Fall 2010, the company collaborated with French fashion house Lanvin^[25] for its 2010 guest designer.

For Spring/Summer 2011, the company collaborated with fashion blogger Elin Kling, which was available at selected stores only.

In June 2011, H&M announced a collaboration plan with Versace, that was released on November 19. Versace is also planning a Spring collaboration with H&M that will only be available in countries with online sales.^[26]

In November 2011, H&M announced a collaboration plan with Marni, to be launched in March 2012. The campaign will be directed by award-winning director Sofia Coppola.^[27].

On October 4th 2012, Japanese Vogue editor Anna Dello Russo will launch an accessories collection at H&M as Paris Fashion Week draws to an end. The collection will be stocked in 140 H&M stores worldwide and also be sold through the H&M website^[28]

Brand[link]

The branding consultancy Interbrand ranked the company as the twenty-first most-valuable global brand in 2009 and 2010,^[29] making it the highest-ranked retailer in the survey. Its worth is estimated at $12–16 billion.^[30][31]

The full company name Hennes & Mauritz was rebranded to H&M to simplify worldwide perception of the brand.^[when?]

The company owns the two-letter domain hm.com. The domain was registered in the early 1990s, but data on the first registration is lost. In 1998 Hennes & Mauritz was able to buy the domain hm.com from a company called A1 in a non-published domain transaction.^[32]

Home furnishing[link]

In a press release, the company announced that it would begin selling home furnishings.^[33] As of 2009, it was distributed exclusively by the company's internet catalog, so it is only available in countries where H&M is sold online, such as Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK.

Controversies[link]

On 6 January 2010, it was reported that unsold clothing and other items in one New York City store are cut up before being discarded, presumably to prevent resale or use.^[34]

In August 2011, nearly 300 workers passed out in one week at a Cambodian factory supplying H&M. Fumes from chemicals, poor ventilation, malnutrition and even "mass hysteria" have all been blamed for making workers ill. The minimum wage in Cambodia is the equivalent of just $66 (£42) a month, a level that human rights groups say is almost half that required to meet basic needs.^[35]

On January 24th, 2012, H&M was reported to have stolen an artist's work, using it on multiple items without compensating the artist.^[36]

See also[link]

	Sweden portal
	Companies portal
	Fashion portal

• List of companies of Sweden
• European Retail Round Table

References[link]

External links[link]

• hm.com, the company's official website
• Hennes en Mauritz news and facts FashionUnited
• COS by H&M
• Collection of past and present H&M advertising at Adbrands.net
• Yahoo! – H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB Company Profile
• social reports

v t e OMX Stockholm 30 companies of Sweden ABB Alfa Laval Assa Abloy AstraZeneca Atlas Copco Boliden Electrolux Ericsson Getinge Hennes & Mauritz Investor AB Lundin Petroleum Modern Times Group Nokia Nordea Sandvik SCA Scania SEB Securitas Skanska SKF SSAB Svenska Handelsbanken Swedbank Swedish Match Tele2 TeliaSonera Volvo

Guy Ritchie
Ritchie, in January 2012.
Born	Guy Stuart Ritchie (1968-09-10) 10 September 1968 (age 43) Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England
Occupation	Film maker, screenwriter, pub landlord, businessman
Years active	1995–present
Spouse	Madonna (m. 2000–2008) «start: (2000-12-22)–end+1: (2008-11-22)»"Marriage: Madonna to Guy Ritchie" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Guy_Ritchie) (divorced)

Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English screenwriter and film maker best known for directing Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes and its sequel.

Early life[link]

Ritchie was born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire,^[1] the second of two children born to Amber (née Parkinson) and Captain John Vivian Ritchie (b. 1928), former Seaforth Highlanders serviceman and advertising executive. John Vivian's father was Major Stewart Ritchie, who died in France, in 1940, during World War Two. John Ritchie's mother was Doris Margaretta McLaughlin (b. 1896), daughter of Vivian Guy McLaughlin (b. 1865) and Edith Martineau (b. 1866). Most of Ritchie's family on the McLaughlin and Martineau lines were appointed Reverends, Barons or Knighted at some point. The peerage started with the Very Rev. Hubert McLaughlin (b. 1805), father of famous nurse Louisa McLaughlin, and ancestor of Patrick McLaughlin, who was the first in his direct family to be given the according title, as he was born into a blue collar family and worked hard to find nobility. Ritchie's mother, Amber, would later go on to marry a baronet herself.^[2][3] His father's second marriage was to Shireen Ritchie, Baroness Ritchie of Brompton, a former model and later Conservative politician and life peer. ^[4]

Ritchie, who is dyslexic, was expelled from Stanbridge Earls School, one of the most prominent institutions specialising in dyslexia in the UK, at the age of 15.^[1] He has stated that drug use was the reason for the expulsion; his father has said that it was because his son was caught "cutting class and entertaining a girl in his room."^[5] He also attended Sibford School.

In addition to his elder sister, Tabitha, a dance instructor, Ritchie has a half-brother, Kevin Bayton, who was born to Amber Parkinson when she was a teenager and given up for adoption.^[6][7] From 1973 until 1980, when they divorced,^[5][8] Ritchie's mother was married to Sir Michael Leighton, 11th baronet. As a divorcée, she is correctly styled as Amber, Lady Leighton.

Directing career[link]

Ritchie directed a 20-minute short film in 1995 entitled The Hard Case. In 1998, Ritchie and his dad contacted their friend Peter Morton, of the Hard Rock Cafe chain, wondering if he had any potential investors for a debut film, Morton knew his nephew Matthew Vaughn had been studying film production in Los Angeles. Peter informed Vaughn of Ritchie's new film idea, and Vaughn knew he could help out with his own found production ideas he had gained from his travels to America. Matthew, John, Guy and Peter all contacted their mutual acquaintance, Trudie Styler, who they knew had enough acting money to invest in the production of Ritchie's second film. Styler informed them that she had previously seen The Hard Case, and decided that co-funding the project would be a worthwhile opportunity. After about eight months, the production of the film, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was completed, and it was released in 1998 to a national audience, then later went global after its positive reviews. Richie was introduced to Madonna when the soundtrack for the film was issued on her Maverick Records label. The film, whose main actor was Jason Flemyng, also introduced actors Jason Statham (The Transporter), Nick Moran and Dexter Fletcher to worldwide audiences, as well as introducing former footballer Vinnie Jones to a new career as a film star. In 2000 Ritchie won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay. Ritchie created and produced a spin-off television series called Lock, Stock....^[9]

His second feature film was Snatch, released in the year 2000. Originally known as Diamonds, it was another caper comedy, this time backed by a major studio. The cast featured such Hollywood big names as Brad Pitt, Benicio del Toro and Dennis Farina, along with the returning Vinnie Jones and Statham. Similar to Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in featuring a complex and inventive storyline in which the characters weave in and out of each others' lives, the film also plays with time, depicting events from various perspectives. It currently has a rating of 72% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Ritchie accompanied Madonna to the debuts of her film The Next Best Thing and album Music. Following his marriage to Madonna, Ritchie began focusing his filmmaking on his famous wife, directing her in both a music video (for the song "What It Feels Like for a Girl", a controversial video that showed Madonna engaging in violent behaviour, ostensibly directed at men, including T-boning a car with three men in it, tasering and robbing a man at an ATM, scratching a police car and shooting two officers with a water gun, driving her car through a group of men playing street hockey and incinerating a man by throwing a lighter into a pool of gasoline) and a short film, Star, for the BMW films series. Ritchie's next film, also featuring Madonna, was a remake of the 1974 Lina Wertmüller hit Swept Away (also entitled Swept Away). Ritchie cast Madonna as a rich, rude, socialite who, after a shipwreck, is trapped on a deserted island with a slovenly Communist sailor who humiliates her. Ritchie renamed the woman Amber Leighton after his mother. This film was both a critical and commercial disappointment. He later accompanied Madonna to the debuts of her films Die Another Day, I'm Going To Tell You A Secret, Arthur and the Invisibles, and I Am Because We Are, as well as her West End play debut in Up for Grabs. Madonna supported her husband by attending the debuts of Ritchie's films Snatch, Revolver, and RocknRolla.

Ritchie, in September 2008.

Ritchie's next project was a Vegas-themed heist film entitled Revolver, which was critically panned in the US and UK.^[10][11]

Ritchie was involved^{[clarification needed]} with a hidden camera show called Swag, for Channel Five in the UK, which turned the table on criminals and opportunists by using stunts to trap them in the act.

Ritchie has also written and directed RocknRolla starring Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Gerard Butler, Tom Hardy, Jeremy Piven, Thandie Newton, and Tom Wilkinson. It scores 60% on Rotten Tomatoes and was generally received well.^[12] Ritchie intends to develop the film into a trilogy, with the next entry being "The Real RocknRolla," as is stated at the end of "RocknRolla." Ritchie will also direct a film based on a comic book series he created with Virgin Comics entitled Guy Ritchie's Gamekeeper. The film rights were acquired by Warner Brothers in July 2007. The film's being produced by Silver Pictures.^[13]

In 2008, Ritchie directed a commercial for Nike called "Take It To The Next Level", about a young Dutch footballer who signs for Arsenal, showing the progression of his career from his viewpoint, until he makes his debut for the Netherlands. The commercial features cameo appearances from some football players with music by Eagles of Death Metal.^[14]

Ritchie's movie Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law, received its theatrical release on 25 December 2009. The film was given generally positive reviews^[15] and grossed more than $520 million worldwide,^[16] becoming Ritchie's most successful film financially.^[17] The sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, was released on 16 December 2011.^[18]

In June 2012 it was announced that Ritchie would direct an adaptation of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. ^[19]

Personal life[link]

Ritchie and wife Madonna in 2005

On 18 May 2000, Ritchie was arrested by the police after he assaulted a 20-year-old man outside the Kensington home he shared with Madonna, causing actual bodily harm.^[20]

On 22 December 2000, Guy married the American pop singer and actress Madonna at Skibo Castle in Scotland. They have a son, Rocco, born 11 August 2000 in Los Angeles, and adopted a Malawian baby boy named David. On 15 October 2008, British media reported that a split was "imminent" between Ritchie and Madonna.^[21] The split was confirmed by their spokesperson^[22] and Ritchie and Madonna went public with the split because they "can’t bear to live with the pretense any longer".^[23]

On 15 December 2008, it was announced by Madonna's spokeswoman that the singer had agreed to a divorce settlement with Ritchie, the terms of which grant him between £50million and £60million, a figure that includes the value of the couple's London pub and residence and Wiltshire estate in England.^[24]

Madonna and Guy Ritchie's marriage was dissolved by District Judge Reid by decree nisi at the clinical Principal Registry of the Family Division in High Holborn, London. Madonna and Ritchie entered into a compromise agreement for Rocco and David, then aged eight and three respectively, and divided the children's time between Ritchie’s London home and Madonna’s in New York, where the two will be joined by her daughter, Lourdes, from a previous relationship.^[25][26]

During his marriage to Madonna, Ritchie followed Kabbalah and was a regular attendee of services at the Kabbalah Centre in Los Angeles, which his former wife co-founded. He also adhered to the Kabbalah tradition of circumcision, undergoing the procedure at Madonna's request.^[27] Although Ritchie is no longer affiliated with Kabbalah, his children are still raised according to its teachings.

Ritchie was the inspiration for, and is the subject of, singer Robbie Williams' single She's Madonna from his 2006 album Rudebox.

Ritchie started training in Shotokan karate at the age of seven at the Budokwai in London, where he later achieved a black belt in judo.^[28] He also has a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.^[29] Ritchie is a fan of the English football team Manchester United.^[30]

In February 2011 a £6m house he owns in London's Fitzrovia was occupied briefly by members of The Really Free School, a squatter organization.^[31][32]

His girlfriend, Jacqui Ainsley, gave birth to their first child, a boy, in September 2011. ^[33]

Filmography[link]

Full length[link]

Short films[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Guy Ritchie

• Guy Ritchie at the Internet Movie Database

David Beckham

Personal information
Full name	David Robert Joseph Beckham
Date of birth	(1975-05-02) 2 May 1975 (age 37)
Place of birth	Leytonstone, London, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Los Angeles Galaxy
Number	23
Youth career
	Tottenham Hotspur
	Brimsdown Rovers
1991–1993	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1993–2003	Manchester United	265	(85)
1995	→ Preston North End (loan)	5	(2)
2003–2007	Real Madrid	116	(14)
2007–	Los Angeles Galaxy	81	(13)
2009	→ Milan (loan)	18	(2)
2010	→ Milan (loan)	11	(0)
National team‡
1992–1993	England U18	3	(0)
1994–1996	England U21	9	(0)
1996–2009	England	115	(17)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:30, 14 April 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 3 November 2009

David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE^[2] (born 2 May 1975)^[3] is an English association footballer who plays for Los Angeles Galaxy. He has played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, and the England national team for which he holds the appearance record for an outfield player.^[4]

Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17.^[5] During his time there, United won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999.^[5] He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons,^[6] clinching the La Liga championship in his final season with the club.^[7] In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid for the Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy,^[8] signing a five-year contract with them on 1 July 2007. While a Galaxy player, he spent two loan spells in Italy with Milan in 2009 and 2010. On 20 November 2011, he joined an elite group of players to have won three league titles in three different countries, when Los Angeles won their third MLS Cup.^[9]

In international football, Beckham made his England debut on 1 September 1996, at the age of 21. He was made captain from 15 November 2000^[10] until the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals,^[11] during which he played 58 times. He earned a much-publicised hundredth cap against France on 26 March 2008,^[12] and became the all-time outfield player appearance record holder on 28 March 2009 when he surpassed Bobby Moore's total of 108 caps.^[4] With 115 career appearances to date, he has stated that he does not intend to retire from international football. Having missed the 2010 World Cup through injury, Beckham has not played for England since 14 October 2009.^[13]

Beckham has twice been runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year^[5] and in 2004 was the world's highest-paid footballer when taking into account salary and advertising deals.^[14] Beckham was the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches.^[5] He is third in the Premier League's all time time assist provider chart, with 152 assists in 265 appearances.^[15] When joining the MLS in 2007 he was given the highest player salary in the league's history, with his playing contract with the Galaxy over the next three years being worth US$6.5m per year.^{[16][17][18][19]}

He is married to Victoria Beckham and they have four children, Brooklyn Joseph, Romeo James, Cruz David, and Harper Seven. As of 2009, the couple's joint wealth is estimated at £125 million.^[20]

Club career[link]

Childhood and early career[link]

Beckham was born at Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, London, England.^[21] He is the son of Sandra Georgina (née West) (b. 1949), a hairdresser, and David Edward Alan "Ted" Beckham (b. Edmonton, London, July–September 1948), a kitchen fitter, who married at the London Borough of Hackney in 1969,^[22][23] He regularly played football in Ridgeway Park, Chingford, as a child, and attended Chase Lane Primary School and Chingford Foundation School.^[24] In a 2007 interview, Beckham said that, "At school whenever the teachers asked, 'What do you want to do when you're older?' I'd say, 'I want to be a footballer.' And they'd say, 'No, what do you really want to do, for a job?' But that was the only thing I ever wanted to do."^[25] Beckham's maternal grandfather was Jewish,^[26] and Beckham has referred to himself as "half Jewish"^[27] and wrote in his autobiography "I've probably had more contact with Judaism than with any other religion".^[28] In his book Both Feet on the Ground, he stated that growing up he attended church every week with his parents and his older sister, Lynne Georgina and younger sister, Joanne Louise.^[29][30]

His parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters who would frequently travel to Old Trafford from London to attend the team's home matches. David inherited his parents' love of Manchester United, and his main sporting passion was football. He attended one of Bobby Charlton's football schools in Manchester and won the chance to take part in a training session at FC Barcelona, as part of a talent competition. He played for a local youth team called the Ridgeway Rovers – coached by his father, Stuart Underwood and Steve Kirby. Beckham was a Manchester United mascot for a match against West Ham United in 1986. Young Beckham had trials with his local club Leyton Orient, Norwich City and attended Tottenham Hotspur's school of excellence. Tottenham Hotspur was the first club he played for. During a two-year period in which Beckham played for Brimsdown Rovers' youth team, he was named Under-15 Player of the Year in 1990.^[31] He also attended Bradenton Preparatory Academy, but signed schoolboy forms at Manchester United on his fourteenth birthday, and subsequently signed a Youth Training Scheme contract on 8 July 1991.

Manchester United[link]

Beckham was part of a group of young players at the club who guided the club to win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992, with Beckham scoring in the second leg^[32] of the final against Crystal Palace. He made his first appearance for United's first-team that year, as a substitute in a League Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion, and signed his first professional contract shortly afterwards. United reached the final of the Youth Cup again the following year, with Beckham playing in their defeat by Leeds United, and he won another medal in 1994 when the club's reserve team won their league, although he did not play in any first team games that season.

On 7 December 1994, Beckham made his UEFA Champions League debut, scoring a goal in a 4–0 victory at home to Galatasaray in the final game of the group stage. However, this victory was of little use as they finished third out of four in their group behind FC Barcelona on goal difference.

He then went to Preston North End on loan for part of the 1994–95 season to get some first team experience. He impressed, scoring two goals in five appearances, notably scoring directly from a corner kick.^[33] Beckham returned to Manchester and finally made his Premier League debut for Manchester United on 2 April 1995, in a goal-less draw against Leeds United. He played four times for United in the league that season, as they finished second behind Blackburn Rovers and missed a third successive Premier League title by a single point. He was not in the squad for United's FA Cup final clash with Everton on 20 May, which they lost 1–0 and were left without a major trophy for the first time since 1989.