Photos from the '90s that prove David and Victoria Beckham were the decade's ultimate power couple

Publish date: 2024-08-13

Manchester United star David Beckham and Spice Girl Victoria Adams met in 1997.

David Beckham and Victoria Beckham leave Monaco on August 26, 1999. AP Photo/Michel Euler

At the time, Adams was well known as "Posh Spice" of the Spice Girls and Beckham was reaching international fame for playing on the soccer team Manchester United, as well as playing for England.

The pair were introduced in the Manchester United players' lounge, and they quickly became a couple.

"When I saw him in the footballers' lounge, all the other footballers were at the bar, and he was standing and talking to his parents, and I'm very close to my family, and I loved that side to him," Victoria said in a new Netflix documentary, "Beckham."

The moment they met, sparks flew.

David and Victoria Beckham. Dave Hogan/Getty Images

Victoria recently said she would specifically go to the Manchester United games to see David.

"Some might say I stalked him, I would say [I went to] see him," she said in "Beckham."

Victoria even told British Vogue it was love at first sight.

Victoria and David Beckham attend the launch of the Aida project, a Disney stage musical written by Elton John and Tim Rice, on January 26, 1999. Tony Harris/PA Images/PA Images/Getty Images

"Yes, love-at-first-sight does exist," she told British Vogue in 2016. "It will happen to you in the Manchester United players' lounge — although you will get a little drunk, so exact details are hazy." 

The pair got engaged in 1998 and wed a year later in a lavish ceremony in Ireland.

Victoria and David Beckham pose for photographers outside their hotel after the announcement of their engagement on January 25, 1998. Dave Hogan/Getty Images

David Beckham has reportedly gifted his wife 15 engagement rings over the course of their relationship — and that isn't to say Victoria's first engagement ring wasn't extravagant. 

Elle reported that David Beckham first proposed to Victoria in 1998 with a three-carat marquise-cut diamond set on a plain yellow-gold band. At the time, it reportedly cost around $85,000.

Their wedding was held at Luttrellstown Castle in Dublin, which cost $800,000 to reserve for the event, People reported. The venue has 20 bedrooms, a ballroom, and sits on a private 560-acre estate.

Only 29 people attended the ceremony, while a larger guest list of 230 people attended the reception, People reported.

Their relationship attracted a lot of publicity. Here the couple is attending a London Fashion Week show in September 1998.

Victoria and David Beckham attend a London Fashion Week show on September 25, 1998. Neil Munns/PA Images/PA Images/Getty Images

Both David and Victoria said they "fancied" each other when they first met, according to People.

The Beckhams proved they had mastered power-couple fashion in these matching leather outfits.

David & Victoria Beckham Attend The Versace Club Gala Party In London. Justin Goff\Getty Images

They wore the matching ensembles to a Versace party in 1999, though the former pop star said the iconic outfits now "haunt" her.

On an October 2022 episode of "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," Victoria Beckham explained that the outfits were uncomfortable, and even inappropriate given the occasion.

"I mean, it haunts me. It does haunt me, but I love it," she said. "It was hot. We were wearing Gucci. It was a Versace dinner, which is inappropriate in itself."

The couple attended this chic party at the Versace Jeans Couture a few months after their first son, Brooklyn, was born.

David Beckham and Victoria Beckham attend a party at the Versace Jeans Couture retail store in London, England, on June 16, 1999. Tim Jenkins/WWD/Penske Media/Getty Images

Brooklyn was born on March 4, 1999.

"It's the most amazing thing. My first child," David Beckham said when reflecting on Brooklyn's birth in "Beckham."

The couple, shown here at an October 1999 award show, now share four children.

Victoria Beckham speaks to David Beckham at a music award show on October 6, 1999. Peter Jordan/PA Images/PA Images via Getty Image

The Beckham children are Brooklyn, 24; Romeo James, 21; Cruz, 18; and Harper Seven, 12.

They also appear to be very much still in love.

David Beckham and Victoria Beckham attend the launch of Jade Jagger's jewelry range on September 20, 1999. Dave M. Benett/Getty Images

"Still making her laugh with my dancing 26 years on," David shared on Instagram alongside a photo of the couple dancing at the "Beckham" premiere.

After the couple renewed their vows in 2017, David told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs that they were still going strong, despite facing challenges. 

"We know each other better than anybody. People have talked about, 'Do we stay together because it's a brand?' Of course not. We stay together because we love each other, because we have four amazing children," he said. "Do you go through tough times? Of course. That's part of relationships. It's part of marriages. It's part of having children. It's part of having responsibilities."

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