Beckham's dramatic glow-up at 51: cosmetic surgery or good genes?

Beckham's dramatic transformation: the change dividing his fans at 51

Former footballer David Beckham is once again the talk of the internet. The reason: a radical physical transformation that social media is quick to call a major glow-up. At 51, the Brit appears in photographs that have reignited the eternal debate between genetics and the surgeon's knife.

The comparison with Brad Pitt has been made endlessly, and it is no coincidence. Those who argue that the Englishman has aged well point out that in his recent shirtless photo shoots he looks vital beyond his years. "He looks like he's in his thirties," they say. Some have even dubbed him "the anti-wall," contrasting him with everything popularly associated with ageing. Skeptics, meanwhile, point out that he keeps his hair shaved to hide thinning and that his skin shows not a single wrinkle. "Stretched tighter than a drum," they say.

Before and after: from Ken doll to reality TV host

Old photos, rescued from the character's "prehistoric" era, show a clean-shaven Beckham, with no neck tattoos and a face that seemed straight out of a cologne advert. Today, the same man can pass for a reality TV tough guy. That contrast has raised awkward questions: is it the result of surgery or a good life? Some mention hair implants in the style of Rooney, others point to tweaks, and some prefer to believe it is simply a matter of genetics.

The truth is that Beckham has neither confirmed nor denied anything. Meanwhile, the glow-up keeps fuelling the debate over how far the right to modify one's own body extends without offering explanations.