David Beckham has revealed that ‘he always knew he was going to be’ with his wife Victoria, even before they first met. The iconic couple are set to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary on July 4, and ahead of the occasion, the footballer has reflected on the moment he first laid eyes on the Spice Girl. David, 49, told The Sun that he first saw Victoria, 50, in a Spice Girls music video, and told his Manchester United teammate Gary Neville that he was going to ‘be with her.’ He said: ‘I always said that once I met Victoria, I would always be with her. ‘A couple of months before we met I was abroad with the England team. Gary Neville and I were in the hotel room and a Spice Girls video came on. ‘I think it was Say You’ll Be There. I pointed at the screen and told him, ‘That’s the girl for me and I’m going to get her. ‘It was her eyes, her face. She’s my idea of perfection.’
Victoria shared similar insight, saying: ‘I fancied David long before we met. ‘I remember doing an interview for a soccer magazine and they showed me photos of different footballers. ‘I had no idea who he was, but I just remember thinking one word: Gorgeous.’
David and Victoria first met in 1997, when she came to watch him at a Manchester United football match and he said ‘hi from across the room’. Victoria recalled the meeting in a letter for her 18-year-old self in Vogue, writing: ‘While the other football players stand at the bar drinking with their mates, you will see David standing aside with his family. ‘(He’s not even in the first team at this stage—you are the famous one.) And he has such a cute smile. You, too, are close to your family, and you will think how similar he feels to you.’
Meanwhile, during an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres show, David also told of the sweet moment, saying: ‘She came to a football match—soccer match—and I said ‘hi’ from across the room and that was it. ‘I thought I’d missed my chance, and then a week later she turned up at another football match. She had a few to drink, and she gave me her number.’
Soon after their initial meeting, the couple went on their first date and quickly became inseparable. In January 1998, just one year after meeting, David and Victoria announced that they were engaged. At the time it was considered the definition of an A-List love story, with David one of the biggest stars for England and Manchester United, and Victoria a member of The Spice Girls.
Speaking about the proposal, Victoria said at the time: ‘We’d already looked at a few rings but I didn’t know which one he had chosen. I’d told him what my dream ring would be. He remembered and had it specially made for me’.
Mere months before the couple became Mr and Mrs Beckham, David and Victoria welcomed their first child together, son Brooklyn. While they were a popular pairing before, David and Victoria cemented their place as an up and coming power couple when they tied the knot in 1999 after two years of dating. The couple now have four children, Brooklyn is now 25, Romeo is 21, Cruz is 19 and Harper is 12.
In 2017, David also shared that it took years to discover what he loved the most about his wife. Speaking on James Corden’s This Life Of Mine podcast, he said: ‘Yes, she’s beautiful and yes, she’s sexy, but I like the fact that she works hard. We’ve been together 27 years and we were only saying to each other the other day that we actually quite like each other. ‘It’s important to, after being together for so many years. ‘We can still have dinner and laugh and joke, or not say anything to each other, and that’s the important part of being in a relationship. ‘Having quiet moments with my wife and my kids and my family is the place where I’m happiest.’
The Beckhams also cleverly turned their much-adored family into an ever-expanding business and property empire. According to The Sunday Times Rich List 2024, Posh and Becks boast a combined fortune of £455million. One thing that David and Victoria have evidently never stopped doing is supporting each other. Through their differing business ventures and achievements, the couple always publicly congratulate each other after big wins.
In March, Victoria proudly watched the catwalk show of her latest collection during Paris Fashion Week. And as the Beckham empire continues to grow, David couldn’t contain his pride for his wife as he took to Instagram to share his love for the fashion designer. The former footballer
