( CNN ) -- Father , son , husband of a Spice Girl , fashion icon , role model , sporting ambassador . It is sometimes easy to forget that David Beckham was ever a midfielder of the highest caliber with more than 100 appearances for England . He wore a sarong , a headscarf , nail varnish , adorned his body with tattoos and changed his expertly coiffured hair-do practically every week . He spoke sparingly and , when he did , it was with a high-pitched , slightly effeminate whine . And , as far as anyone could tell , his female partner seemed to make all the important decisions . And yet his masculinity was never in doubt . Can you bend it like Beckham ? Prove it ! Send us your videos . In the 1990s , we called Beckham a New Man , or a metrosexual . He was evidently straight , but never aggressive or even assertive in a traditional masculine way . In fact , he seemed mild-mannered . He dressed stylishly -- if a little too flamboyantly for many tastes -- groomed himself painstakingly and appeared unembarrassed when asked about his formidable following of gay fans . There was a shimmering complexity , a quiet elegance , and perhaps even a sly wit about Beckham . Footballers , as the world knew them , were hard-boiled characters , who liked a drink and a good play up , especially after a game . Their reputation was hewn from the granite of working class tradition -- men were tough and affectless . We can barely imagine the reaction in the locker room when Beckham unpacked moisturizer , bronzer , and assorted hair products from his kit bag . In the late 1990s , when he first surfaced , only Beckham could get away with it . After all , he enjoyed the adoration of women all over the world , had a pop star girlfriend and soon-to-be wife , and had to fend off advertisers who clamored for his endorsement services . He was a man with the world at his feet . He still is . Today , cultural history is unimaginable without Beckham -- because he helped change that history . He slew the image of the unrelentingly macho sport hero and emerged heroically as the world 's first all-purpose celebrity athlete . A symbol of a new masculinity . And still we have to remind ourselves : Beckham was never rated as the best footballer in the world . And , far from being a hellraiser or a serial womanizer like many a notorious sports figure , he was squeaky clean . Well , at least until 2004 when the News of the World tabloid alleged that he had an affair -- something he denied . Paradoxically , the alleged affair added rather than subtracted from his already iconic status , introducing a dash of devilry and rescuing Beckham from a kind of borderline piousness , and perhaps issuing a reminder that , despite all the affectations , his manhood was beyond doubt . So why is Beckham the game-changing celebrity athlete ? There were two David Beckhams : one the flesh-and-blood mortal who kicked a ball around for a living , the other a character that existed independently of time and space -- a product of our imaginations . Everyone thought they knew Beckham and enjoyed a secret relationship with him . He was like a blank canvas . Had he espoused his own views , or aligned himself with great causes he would have spoiled it . But he was silent , giving interviews rarely -- and , I suspect , at Victoria 's discretion . And while he stayed largely unknown , the Beckham mystique grew . When Beckham first entered the popular consciousness it was amid feelings of hate and revenge . Red-carded in a crucial England game against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup , Beckham was blamed for his team 's exit . Effigies of him were burnt and he was forced to retreat . It 's difficult to imagine the intensity of the loathing back then . Yet it was crucial in generating interest , even , passion . The sight , even the name of Beckham stirred up powerful feelings . Football fans may have despised him , but others were just curious . And they became more curious as Beckham defiantly refused to give interviews or make public appearances , save for at the occasional fashion launch or a party hosted by a rock star or designer . All this was very un-footballer-like and faintly unmanly . By the time Beckham and Victoria were married in 1999 , interest in him had extended far beyond the football fraternity . His most devoted followers knew nothing of football . Unlike traditional sport fans , they were not interested in how he played : they were interested in him -- just Beckham . At the start of the 21st century , there was only an embryonic celebrity culture ; the fascination we now have for people who make no material impact on our lives and , in many cases , had no accomplishments of note was a new and perplexing development . Fans knew famous sportsmen and women by their talents and achievements . Beckham was different , he was known for being Beckham and , in this sense , he was among the first generation of celebrities . Beckham 's departure from football will not mean his disappearance . He will remain on our TV screens , in our magazines and on advertising hoardings the world over . But most significantly , he will remain in our imaginations . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ellis Cashmore .
David Beckham 's masculinity was never in doubt , writes Ellis Cashmore . Beckham dressed stylishly -- if a little too flamboyantly for many tastes . He became a symbol of a new masculinity .