Golden Balls' jubilee

As David Beckham hits the Big 5-0, FFT talks to former team-mates to hear their memories of playing alongside the midfielder, from busting bleep tests to white-tie-and-diamond parties...

- Words Chris Flanagan Additional reporting Ryan Dabbs

There's a look of mild horror on the face of Gary Pallister, as FourFourTwo informs him of David Beckham's looming milestone. “He’s 50, is he?” grins Pallister. “Dear God, that shows how old I am!”

Nine years Beckham's senior, Pallister was in the Manchester United side when Beckham made his first-team debut at Brighton’s Goldstone Ground in 1992, but anyone who watched the midfielder from the start of his professional career is probably experiencing a similar level of despair right now.

Back in the 1990s, Beckham was the epitome of youthful genius, dominating the second half of the decade with the classic curtains hairdo of the era. Before you know it, 30 years have passed, albeit those years have been kind to Beckham - so kind that his birthday has crept up on everyone. David Beckham, as stylish as ever, 50 years old? It’s a statistic that’s quite hard to believe, but few footballing figures have ever packed so much into that half-century...

"WHO'S THIS KID?"

Pallister first met Beckham when the youngster had only just entered his teens. The whole Manchester United team did. “I remember him being courted by the club whenever we were down in London for a game,” the former centre-back tells FFT. “He'd always seem to appear in the dressing room - this young blond-haired kid with a Cockney accent who wanted to play for Manchester United, coming in and meeting the players.

“It was our first introduction to him before he joined the club. You'd think, ‘Who is this kid? He’d better be good if the gaffer’s doing this on a matchday!’ It's hallowed ground to be inside the changing room before or after a game.”