Former England captain David Beckham has announced his retirement from football, ending a 20-year glittering playing career during which he became a global superstar.

The 38-year-old former Beckham who has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Los Angeles Galaxy, has retired after two decades at the top of the game.

The popular English star has widely been applauded for his curling free kicks and rugged good looks. Although he never lifted the World Cup, soccer’s ultimate prize, Beckham won enough club honors in his illustrious career.

Beckham holds the England record for making 115 appearances as an outfield player for the national team and is the only English player to win championships in four countries.

The stylist mid-fielder was immortalized in the 2002 movie “Bend it Like Beckham,” which told the story of a teenage British girl of south Asian heritage struggling with family pressures and cultural expectations to play the sport she loves.