Beckham in books

Beckham with young fans at a book signing in London

The public perception and private persona of David Beckham are at distinct odds with one another - as two books currently on the shelves explain. BBC Sport Online's Bridget Chandler looks at the evidence.

Hero or villain? Take your pick. The answer lies in which account of David Beckham's life you wish to read.

As if the Manchester United and England midfielder did not claim enough column inches already, then someone had to go and write a book about him.

And not just anyone - an author whose controversial portrayals of two of the planet's most talked-about women were condemned from certain quarters yet sold in their millions.

The two books are not providing the publishing world with enormous revenues - London bookstore Waterstone's of Piccadilly reports neither book selling in its Top 20, but says Beckham's own book is probably outselling Morton's offering.

Meanwhile, specialist sports bookshop Sportspages of Manchester admits to not selling a single copy of the Morton book and says Beckham's book has yet to sell a tenth of the one written by his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

A Waterstone's spokesman said: "The Beckham book is solely aimed at fans while Andrew Morton's book goes beyond that and attracts general readers of celebrity books.

"When you are in the world David Beckham is in you are going to be targeted - in these circumstances it is not uncommon for the subject to put forward opposing views in his own book."

When David and Victoria Beckham discovered Andrew Morton's plans to turn his hand to the intricacies of their life together and their place in modern culture they had a right to be nervous.

Andrew Morton with Monica Lewinsky

Morton had become a celebrity in his own right with his books Diana - Her True Story, and the Monica Lewinsky biography, Monica's Story.

Now it seemed he was willing to focus his particular brand of warts-and-all spotlight on Britain's most-photographed couple.

Worse was to come when the Beckhams promptly discovered a former bodyguard had agreed to spill the beans about their private life. Immediately the writs began to fly.

After an out-of-court settlement, publication of the book went ahead - and the damage limitation exercise began.

Beckham, renowned as inarticulate in a profession where being able to string a sentence together brings labels of "intelligent", published his own version of his life - the imaginatively-titled My Story.

In Morton's book the young superstar is viewed as "the new royalty", obsessed with success, fame, and along with his pop star wife, desperate for constant media exposure.

But in his own book, this rather shy man purports to be a devoted father and husband, dedicated to his profession since childhood - a man who likes nothing more than sharing a Chinese take-away for dinner with his wife at home.

The devoted family man with his wife and baby

Beckham had the world at his feet when he made his league debut for Manchester United against Leeds in 1995 - and every reason to believe in his future.

And it was his antics on the pitch, rather than off it, which first catapulted him into the public eye.

At the tender age of 21, in the first match of the season against Wimbledon, Beckham's magic right boot unleashed a shot from the halfway line which beat goalkeeper Neil Sullivan.

The press went wild and in one flash, Beckham's life was no longer his own.

For two seasons he was a media darling - the golden boy of the front and back pages who found himself a pop-star girlfriend in keeping with his newfound celebrity.

The pair could do no wrong.

Until, in one petulant moment, it all turned sour.

A kick at Argentina's Diego Simeone saw him sent off during England's second-round World Cup match in 1998 and, within days, the player was forced to accept police protection, endure death threats to himself and his family, and bear the brunt of the press vilification at the nation's exit from the tournament.

If that was not enough to enrage a deeply suspicious public, the couple proceeded to wed in a blaze of publicity, selling the pictures of themselves sitting on matching thrones for astronomical amounts of cash.

Courting celebrity? Posing for the glossy magazines

If you believe Beckham's account of his life today, he has become a stronger person because of the abuse he suffers on and off the pitch - directed not only at him but also his wife, and baby son, Brooklyn.

He says he is a private person who has never courted publicity or negotiated with paparazzi photographers and puts his wife's often embarrassing outbursts - most notoriously when she accused him of wearing her knickers - down to her "bubbly personality".

But if you concur with Andrew Morton, you will believe Beckham, and in particular his wife, have engineered their media exposure to an alarming degree, even to the extent of making up stories they had received kidnap threats directed at Brooklyn - an allegation the Beckhams strenuously deny.

Beckham is undoubtedly one of the most talented footballers in the world.

One who admittedly has succumbed to moments of indiscretion on the pitch - but who has dug in, worked hard, and surely made up for his misdemeanours.

Vindictive

For a player of his talents to be subjected to abuse of the most vindictive kind by fans claiming to support the national team is somewhat incredible.

Whatever continues to be written about the player, the average football fan must accept Beckham's words to a certain extent.

He loves being a footballer and a father. He has an enviably happy marriage - and he intends to become a world-beater on the pitch.

Anyone who can honestly say they would not like to be in his shoes for just one day must indeed live a charmed life.

Ultimately, history will decide whether Beckham was not only the most talented player of his generation but also a motivated manipulator of the modern era's hunger for the sporting icon.

But for the time being there is all the information out there on the bookshelves for the public to decide for themselves - if, that is, they are interested enough to read it.