August 17th, 1996. A day the Beckham family will likely never forget. With Victoria Adams and her equally spicy friends riding high on top of the UK charts with their hit single ‘Wannabe’, it was fresh-faced 21 year-old David Beckham who managed to produce the biggest smash-hit this side of the century with a wonder-goal against Wimbledon.
Putting ball to boot in the 90th minute as Manchester United lead the game 2-0 at Selhurst Park, young, handsome, floppy-haired Beckham scored an audacious attempt at goal from over 50 yards out. But it wasn’t just a goal. It was pure magic.
It was type of goal people nowadays still try to score against their mates on Fifa. Except it happened on a real pitch with real footballers andreal bad haircuts.
This one moment had the entire country on their feet and truly turned David Beckham into the household name he is today.
When commentator John Motson prophetically announced this as “a goal that will be talked about and replayed for years” he surely didn’t know just how right he would be.
