When Bend it like Beckham became part of football lore!

Bengaluru, June 26: 1998, June 26. Twenty years and the charm of that day has not faded a bit! That was the day when David Beckham announced his arrival on the global stage with that curling 30-yard free-kick against Colombia in the World Cup group tie at the Felix Bollaert stadium in France.

Though Beckham was part of England's World Cup squad, he was left out of the first two games against Tunisia and Romania as manager Glenn Hoddle was apparently not convinced about his commitment to the team.

However, Beckham got his due finally and started in the third match against Colombia in which the Three Lions needed just a draw to guarantee them a place in the round of 16.

And not the one to look a horse in the mouth, the rising England star made most of the opportunity with that free-kick, which later became a trademark of his game.

#OnThisDay in #France1998 #GroupPhase against #Colombia 🇨🇴 #DavidBeckham 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 scored his 1st goal at the #FIFAWorldCup 🏆 with terrific free-kickpic.twitter.com/GVdQRNqYqB

— FIFA WorldCup Trivia (@Trivia_WorldCup) June 26, 2018

Watched among others by Prince Charles, Prince Harry and a phalanx of travelling England fans, Beckham unleashed a long-range free-kick which flew past a hapless Colombia custodian Faryd Mondragon.

#OnThisDay England fans have had plenty to celebrate...

1990 - David Platt nets a last minute winner over Belgium.
1998 - David Beckham scores the first of his 17 England goals with a free-kick against Colombia#WorldCup #ENG pic.twitter.com/MIlTcGgyZg

— Grosvenor Sport (@GrosvenorSport) June 26, 2018

The free-kick was awarded after Paul Ince was brought down 30 yards from goal and Beckham stepped up to produce an unmatched master class, curling the ball around the wall past the dive of Mondragon and inside his left-hand post.

The rest is as they say history. 'Bend it like Beckham' became part of the football folklore after that.

For Beckham, who had made his international debut in 1996, it was his first goal for England in his 17th appearance for the country and it came on his mother's birthday.

#OnThisDay in 1998 England had to beat Colombia to move into the 2nd round of France 98.

A corker from @DarrenAnderton puts England in front, then David Beckham scores his first international goal in some style...pic.twitter.com/8xcohlOzVu

— Proper Football (@sid_lambert) June 26, 2018

England won the match 2-0 and made it to the knockout stage, but it will be remembered more for Beckham's flashes of brilliance.

The grapevine was that the day before the match, Beckham spent almost two hours on his own on a small practice pitch, practising free-kicks while listening to Tupac on a big stereo.

As he walked off the field after the match, he was the toast of the nation and though he became the pantomime villain later after being sent off in the knockout match against Argentina, his curling free-kick had created a legacy which is still unparalleled in football history.

And as another World Cup is currently under way in Russia, it is time to recollect that historic moment.