EXCLUSIVE: The defining moment in David Beckham's life came long before baby Brooklyn's name was even a twinkle in a tattooist's eye.

In March 1995 the teenager was summoned to Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson's office. There Beckham was told he was being sent out on loan - to Third Division Preston North End.

Suddenly, the boy whose dream had always been of wearing the famous red shirt of United faced the crushing thought that he was about to be discarded by Old Trafford.

'What was an impressionable 19-year-old supposed to think about that?' Beckham reflected on his moment of turmoil. 'I was shocked at first, then a little hurt that he should want to let me go. Then I was downright worried about it. What if United didn't fancy me any more?'

It was Beckham's father, Ted, who prompted his son to transform the potential ignominy of being farmed out to the lower divisions into a career-enriching experience.

'I asked my dad what I should do and he said straight away to go and put my heart and soul into it,' said Beckham.

'I was in United's reserves at the time and although there were a lot of good players in the side, it was nothing like playing in the Football League for a club like Preston. There was a lot more experience to be gained from playing out there.

'I would say the month there turned my career round, setting everything off. I needed to be picked up, encouraged a little bit and Preston did that for me. It was the first time in my career that I felt I had a couple of points to prove.

'I needed to know I had the ability to survive and play in a league where I was probably going to get lumps kicked out of me. I was prepared to put my reputation on the line as one of United's young "stars". I wanted to be a United professional and it didn't matter to me what the personal sacrifice was.'

Five years later, Beckham's journey from a teenager worried about his future into an international football icon - complete with pop star wife Victoria, young son Brooklyn and the obligatory fleet of Ferraris, Mercs, TVRs and Jeep off-roaders - is complete. Success at Euro 2000 will merely confirm his status - and add a few more millions to his marketing value.

When the young Beckham set off for Deepdale, though, it was in his newly purchased Volkswagen Golf. And he was concerned that even that modest hatchback might give his new team-mates the impression of 'a big-time Charlie' come to put Preston's lesser lights firmly in their place.

The feeling was not exactly helped by the response of Preston's manager, Gary Peters, to his new young star.

'He took me out into the middle of the training pitch and said: "Right, this fella is going to take all the free-kicks and all the corners because he's much better at it that any of you lot",' said Beckham.

'I didn't know where to look, but the lads took it all in good heart. I think they realised I was taking it very seriously.'

Sir Tom Finney, Preston's president and the club's most exalted player, glows at the memory of Beckham in the famous white shirt. 'Immediately, you could see a special talent, a footballer who had you on the edge of your seat,' Finney said.

'It was tremendous to watch him, a privilege, even at that age. Off the field, there was nothing showy, nothing extravagant about him. He was a quiet lad, shy really, and very unassuming, very ordinary, I would say.

'I bumped into him on the boardroom stairs after one game, had a chat and found David very likeable. Now you see him and he takes such terrible stick in public. Why? He's an outstanding footballer who can only do England so much good.

'With all this film-star stuff around him, I feel sorry for David. In my time, if I went out for a meal with my wife I might be asked for a single autograph. For him it's like Hollywood, chased everywhere without any peace; it's a great shame.'

In his moment of pre-Preston crisis Beckham had turned to Eric Harrison, the youth coach and off-field guru to United's collection of embryo talent. He understood Beckham's state of emotional stress and counselled him.

Harrison explained: 'David just thought he was being kicked out of United. That was in his head and he was very concerned. I had to sit him down, quieten him down and tell him quite firmly: "Like hell you're being given the boot".

'When he was only 16, I promised him he would make it to the very highest level, that he was heading all the way to the top. This loan transfer was simply part of his learning process.

'Eventually he listened and understood. I told both David and his parents that within two years he wouldn't just be a first-team regular with United, he would also be in the England team.

'You didn't need to be into rocket science to understand he was going to go a long way in football. He always had wonderful determination, incredible desire, a willingness to train until he dropped, and smashing technical ability.

'But at that time, almost overnight, David had grown about six inches. So he was a bit stringy, a bit weak.

We had to put him in the real world, where players desperately need that win bonus to feed the kids, and that was Preston.

'He had to see it with his own eyes. For David, always a lad focused on being a top player, that was the quick fix.'

There was no embarrassment on the pitches of the Third Division during that loan spell. Just as Gary Peters had hoped, the player who now enjoys an unrivalled status as the king of the set-pieces seized the opportunity to score from a free-kick and a corner.

Beckham was acclaimed man-of-the-match three times and shared in three Preston victories and two draws.

Now, with Euro 2000 beckoning, England waits to see if Beckham can add to the more obvious trappings of his success.

The prize on offer is the sporting status afforded to the likes of Stanley Matthews, Bobby Moore and Preston's most famous footballer, Finney.

If Beckham grabs that, his month at Deepdale will have received its greatest reward.