贝克汉姆7月1日成功地完成了转会，在2日呈现了身披的23号比赛服。他被认为选取这件号码作为送给自己偶像——迈克尔·乔丹的礼物。乔丹在芝加哥公牛队身披著名的23号队服。
印有他的名字和号码的球衣于转会完成那天在马德里一售而光，皇马俱乐部有望通过出售球衣收入62.4万美元。
His transfer to Real Madrid has proven very fruitful for both Beckham and the club. Beckham scored five times in his first 16 matches (including Reals 600th goal in the European Cup/Champions League， against Olympique Marseille on 26 November 2003)， a higher scoring rate than his last year at Manchester United (11 goals in 52 games).
He has become a favourite of the notoriously ficklefickle adj.(在感情等方面)变幻无常的， 浮躁的， 薄情的 Real Madrid crowd， and established an excellent playing relationship with Ronaldo.
During the summer of 2004， Real also signed Englishmen Michael Owen and Jonathan Woodgate.
England career
By 1998， Beckham was a regular international， and travelled with the England squad to the World Cup . In the second round of that competition， he received a red card for retaliation， following a foul challenge by the Argentine Diego Simeone.
转会皇马被证明对于贝克汉姆本人和皇马俱乐部都是成功的。在最初的16场比赛中，贝克汉姆进球5个（包括皇马的第600个冠军杯进球，在2003年11月26日对奥林匹亚克斯的比赛中踢进），得分率高于他在曼联的最后一年（52场比赛进11球）。
他开始成为挑剔的皇马球迷特别喜欢的球员，并且和罗纳尔多建立了良好的关系。
2004年夏天，皇马和英格兰人迈克尔·欧文及乔纳森·伍得盖特签约。
国家队
1998年，作为国家队的成员，贝克汉姆随队参加了世界杯。第二轮的比赛中，在阿根廷球员迭戈·西蒙尼一次肮脏的挑衅后，因为报复，他领到了一张红牌。
This act arguablyarguably adv.可论证地，正如可提出证据加以证明的那样 cost England the game (which they lost on penalties ) and the chance of advancing in the tournament.
On returning home， Beckham became the target of criticism， sometimes justified (the accusation of petulance， for example)， and his performance was negatively contrasted with that of Michael Owen， but much merely gratuitous including being burnt in effigyeffigy n.(被憎恨或蔑视的人的)肖像， 雕像. Piers Morgan， the then editor of the Daily Mirror later apologized for some of the harsher criticism.
Most commentators were mollified when it became public that the then England Manager Glen Hoddle supported a number of new age beliefs and practices that had created some conflict in the England team camp.
He received a similar vilification following his dismissal for a dangerous challenge in the World Club Championships the next year.
这次行为埋葬了英格兰队（他们输掉了比赛），同时也使他们失去了继续前进的机会。
回国后，贝克汉姆成为被批评的靶子，有些批评是合理的（譬如，关于他冲动的批评），他的表现被消极地用来和迈克尔·欧文进行对比，但是多数攻击仅仅是无理取闹，就像燃烧他的肖像。皮尔斯·摩根，同期的一位《镜报》编辑，后来为一些荒唐的批评而道歉。
当这件事被公布后，许多点评员都平息了。后来，英格兰主教练格伦·霍德尔坚持大量使用新人的想法和实践在英格兰队内部导致很多冲突。
他也受到了一些中伤，导致他无缘参加来年举办的联合会杯。
Following Englands poor performance in Euro 2000 and later poor performances， the departure of Kevin Keegan as manager saw Beckham promoted to captain， initially under caretakercaretaker n.管理者， 看管者， 看守者 manager Peter Taylor and maintained by SvenG ran Eriksson.
His leadership， mainly by example due to his fitness and workrate helped England to qualify for the 2002 World Cup Finals and the 15 defeat of Germany in Munich during a qualifier.
The final step in Beckhams conversion from villainvillain n.坏人， 恶棍 to hero happened in Englands 22 draw against Greece. Needing only one point from the match in order to qualify for the World Cup， Beckham dragged an otherwise poor England side to qualification with sheer determination and a perfectly executed ， lastminute free kick. Meanwhile， taking the role of captain seems to have helped mature him， in both skill and temperament.
随着英格兰队在2000年欧洲锦标赛及随后比赛中的糟糕表现，离职的主教练凯文·基冈，最初的守门员教练彼得·泰勒和后来的主教练埃里克森，都让贝克汉姆担任球队队长。
他的领导才能，主要体现在他的韧性及工作效率。他帮助英格兰队在慕尼黑5：1击败德国队，取得了参加2002世界杯的资格。
2：2战平希腊队在最后时刻晋级使得贝克汉姆由国家罪人成为民族英雄。 为了进军世界杯，那场比赛英格兰至少需要1分，贝克汉姆不仅很好地完成了防守任务，而且积极策动进攻、鼓励队友，最后1分钟时进了一个任意球。英格兰国家队队长的角色似乎帮助他在技术和情绪方面都成熟很多。
Two months before the start of the 2002 World Cup Finals， Beckham was injured during a Championschampion n.冠军， 拥护者， 战士 vt.拥护， 支持 League match breaking the metatarsalmetatarsal adj.［解］跖骨的 n.跖骨 bones of his left foot.
It was a cause of some controversy as the player that caused the injury was Argentinian and as England had already been drawn against them in the group stage the British Press speculated the injury was deliberate to hobble Englands star player.
After the miracle of the win in Munich expectations for the England squad were high but even though Beckham was declared match fit for the first match against Sweden he had only had limited training.