David Beckham: a career in hairstyles – in pictures

1993: Number two at the back and sides. Floppy curtains on top. Textbook teenager who went to Mr Topper’s. He would’ve taken one bottle into the shower at this stage, then a scrunch of Studio Line. Note it’s not a million miles away from hipster hairstyles of today. Even aged 18, Becks was at coiffure’s cutting edge Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

1998: A year since he started dating Posh Spice and Easy V is already making her presence felt. A look-at-me length, a spritz of Sun-In (shade: damp straw) and he’s starting to look like a celebrity rather than a bog-standard soccerball player Photograph: Getty Images

2000: A new millennium, a new man. Beckham debuts an "action hero" buzzcut, which reveals his impeccably shaped skull. He’d later add hip-hop-influenced tramlines and even a Vanilla Ice eyebrow stripe. Cooking defenders like a pound of bacon Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA

2001: From the tough-guy crop, Becks graduated to this even tougher mini-mohawk. It's Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver meets Mr T. You talking to me? I ain't gettin' on no plane, Victoria, you crazy fool Photograph: Nick Potts/PA

2002: His most boyband-ish look yet. Blond highlights ahoy, precision-trimmed goatee, double-diamond earrings. It’s a look that says: “I reached the bootcamp stage of Popstars but got eliminated for having a stupid, squeaky voice.” Photograph: John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

May 2003: This was a busy year for Beckham’s barber-and-accessories consultant. First came the alice band, a sort of hair version of the metrosexual sarong he sported five years previously. No wonder Sir Alex Ferguson kicked a boot at the big Sassenach jessie Photograph: Paul Barker/AFP/Getty Images

May 2003: On an England tour of South Africa, some bloke called Nelson Mandela had the privilege of meeting this global icon. It clearly went to the captain’s head, hence these unforgivable cornrows. All a bit Ali G, aiiiii? Photograph: Ben Radford/Getty Images

August 2003: Having left Manchester to join the Galacticos of Real Madrid, El Becks came over all cosmopolitan with this poor excuse for a ponytail. Like an Australian barman sitting by a festival campfire, strumming an acoustic guitar with surf stickers on it Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

2005: A Hoxton fin. A faux-hawk. A bit of a mousy “meh” mess, maybe, but at least he’d seen sense over the cornrow and ponytail travesties. He looks a bit like an Apprentice candidate. He’s not a one-trick tonsorial pony, he’s a whole field of tonsorial ponies Photograph: Mike Mayhew/Sportsphoto.

2008: A crewcut combined with a beard. Beckham had moved to LA Galaxy at this point and was clearly aiming for a Stone Cold Steve Austin vibe. Sadly, it’s actually reminiscent of a young Michael Eavis. Get orf moy land Photograph: Graham Whitby/Sportsphoto/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar

2010: Approaching the end of his footballing career, even Beckham’s hair was starting to look tired. It’s mullety at the back, quiffy at the front and messy in between. It’s only the Californian tan that stopped him looking like he’d let himself go Photograph: Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

2013: Ah, that’s better. A move to couture capital Paris inspires Beckham’s most hipster look yet: a Mad Men-influenced retro cut with sharp side parting, a dab of Dax and the air of a dashing RAF bomber pilot. A fitting way to bow out. Happy hairy retirement Photograph: Matthew Childs/Action Images