In late-August 2003, Real Madrid won the Spanish Super Cup over two legs versus Mallorca, with Beckham scoring the final 🔔 goal in a 3–0 return leg win at home, thus setting the stage for the start of the league season. 🔔 Playing in a star-laden team which included three former FIFA World Player of the Year recipients, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and 🔔 Luís Figo, in addition to Roberto Carlos, Raúl and Iker Casillas, Beckham did not require much time to settle in, 🔔 scoring five times in his first 16 matches (including a goal less than three minutes into his La Liga debut). 🔔 Queiroz mostly favoured the adaptable 5–3–2 formation, with two fullbacks Míchel Salgado and Roberto Carlos, often joining the attack down 🔔 the wings, while Beckham played on the right of the three-man midfield, alongside Zidane and Figo.[90]

"I'm coming there not to 🔔 be a superstar. I'm coming there to be part of the team, to work hard and to hopefully win things. 🔔 With me, it's about football. I'm coming there to make a difference. I'm coming there to play football ... I'm 🔔 not saying me coming over to the States is going to make soccer the biggest sport in America. That would 🔔 be difficult to achieve. Baseball, basketball, American football, they've been around. But I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't 🔔 think I could make a difference."[104] Beckham on going to America

Beckham playing for AC Milan in 2009

Beckham and wife Victoria 🔔 in 2024

In March 2024 Beckham had the third highest social media rank in the world among sportspeople, behind Cristiano Ronaldo 🔔 and Lionel Messi, with over 52 million Facebook fans.[348] He also has over 80 million Instagram followers, the fifth highest 🔔 for a footballer, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, and the second most for a person from the 🔔 UK, after Dua Lipa.[349][350]