Hottest Football Players

David Beckham is one of Britain's most iconic athletes whose name is also an elite global advertising brand. He was captain of the English national team from 2000 to 2009, scored in three different FIFA World Cups, and played midfield for clubs in Manchester, England, Madrid, Spain, and Milan, Italy; he also won the MLS Cup playing for Los Angeles Galaxy in 2011 and 2012.

He was born David Robert Joseph Beckham on May 2, 1975, in Leytonstone, East London, England, to Sandra Georgina (West), a hairdresser, and David Edward Alan "Ted" Beckham, a kitchen fitter. Beckham's maternal grandfather was Jewish, and David has mentioned the religion as an influence; he wears a tattoo written in Hebrew from the 'Song of Songs' in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), albeit he is not known to practice Judaism or any other faith. Beckham has always played in long sleeve shirts to cover up his tattoos in consideration of others who may feel uncomfortable due to their beliefs.

He was brought up by his parents, supporters of Manchester United, attended Bobby Charlton's football school in Manchester, and won a spot in a training session at FC Barcelona as a child. In 1986 he was a Manchester United's mascot for a match against West Ham United. From 1992 - 2003 Beckham made almost 400 appearances for Manchester United and scored 85 goals, although his official record counts only 62 goals in 265 official senior team's matches. In the 1998 FIFA World Cup he played all of England's qualifying matches and scored in several important victories. He received a red card for violent conduct in England's match against Argentina, albeit his opponent later admitted to trying to send Beckham off by over-reacting to their contact during the game and by urging the referee to send Beckham off. After losing the game England was eliminated, Beckham was made a scapegoat and became the target of criticism and abuse in media.

He had a good season in 1999 - 2000 and helped Manchester United to win the Premier League. At that time, he married singer Victoria Beckham (nee' Adams) from the popular musical group The Spice Girls, and the couple had their first son, Brooklyn, born in 1999. That same year, Beckham was given a permission to miss training routine, in order to look after his son Brooklyn, who suffered from a stomach infection. Meanwhile, the Manchester United's manager, Alex Ferguson, fined Beckham £50,000 (about $80,000 then) the maximum amount that was permitted, for babysitting with his sick child, while his wife was spotted at a London fashion Week event on the same night. Ferguson's claim that Beckham should be able to train if his wife stayed home that day, caused a serious personal tension between two men. In February 2003, following the defeat to Arsenal, the Manchester United's manager Alex Ferguson entered the changing room and kicked a football boot that struck Beckham over the eye, causing a cut that required stitches.

David Beckham has been a good scorer and a major attraction for public. On the field he has been demonstrating his consistent ability to see a big picture even under severe pressure during the most rapidly changing and unpredictable games. His field vision has been remarkable, allowing him to create many assists in a number of important matches. Beckham's forte has been his delivery from the right-hand side as well as his efficient free kicks. His superior performances in the midfield position has required a higher physical endurance through the entire game. "David Beckham's right foot" was mentioned, although humorously, as one of British national treasures in the movie Love Actually (2003).

He signed a four-year contract with Real Madrid, beginning on July 1, 2003, and worth a potential 40 million dollars. In Madrid, Beckham was not allowed to wear his favorite number seven, because another player had the right to wear it written into his contract. Beckham decided to wear the number 23 instead, being a big fan of Michael Jordan. He immediately became popular with the Real Madrid fans, but the team did not perform well enough to win either the Spanish League or the Champions League. However, Beckham remained a reliable scorer and his performances attracted more public. His shirts sales and other merchandising deals remained lucrative for the club, which continued to under-perform, regardless of the Real's management's higher expectations.

In 2005 Beckham became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He was also involved in promoting London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. His third season in Madrid was unremarkable, and he was criticized a lot, mainly because the team finished second to Barcelona in Spanish "La Liga" and lost to Arsenal in the European Champions League. However, during that season, he expanded his international presence by establishing football academies in Los Angeles and East London. During the FIFA World Cup 2006, he played for England, and became the first ever English player to score in three World Cups. In the quarter final game against Portugal, Beckham was replaced because of his injury in the middle of the game. Without him the English team lost and was knocked out of the World Cup.

In June 2007 Beckham played his final game for Real Madrid, winning a medal and celebrating with his friends Tom and Katie Cruse, who attended the game. This was his fourth, and last season there, ending his contract with the club. He announced that he had signed a five-year contract to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy from July 1, 2007 through June 2012. The 5-year deal includes up to $10 million a year in direct salary, and with merchandising endorsements and profit-sharing could earn Beckham up to $50 million a year, and may end up worth about $250 million in five years, making him one of the highest earning athletes of all time.

In 2009, in a unique time share agreement David played on loan at AC Milan to maintain his fitness after ending the season with the Galaxy. He ended up staying with Milan for five months, from January to May 2009. In 2010, he also arranged to embark on a second loan spell at AC Milan from the Galaxy, to play for Milan for another five months. He said that he "genuinely enjoyed playing for Milan."

In 2011, after winning his first MLS Cup, his five-year deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy ended. At that time, Beckham was invited to play for Paris Saint-Germain. But the 36-year-old player said "My family and I are incredibly happy and settled in America and we look forward to spending many more years here... I am still passionate about playing in America and winning trophies with the Galaxy" he stated after signing another two-year contract with the Los Angeles club.

In 2012, Beckham helped the Los Angeles Galaxy to retain their championship by defeating the Houston Dynamo 3-1 in the final game and winning the MLS Cup 2012. His last appearance for Los Angeles was on December 2, 2012. Beckham's jersey No 23 has been the best selling in the MLS and one of the best in the world, as he expands his image as one of sport's leading icons. Although he plays his best in the right of midfield, Beckham can be dangerous anywhere in the field and can make a difference in a big game with a pass, a cross, or a free kick. Arguably no one in the game can rival Beckham's accuracy in free kicks, as he can put that ball on a teammate's head with uncanny precision. He is still a decisive player, regardless of age.

In January 2013, David Beckham signed a 5 month contract with Paris Saint-Germain.

The Beckhams, who have become known as "Posh and Becks", have four children: three sons - Brooklyn Joseph Beckham (born 1999, in London), Romeo James Beckham (born 2002, in London), Cruz David Beckham (born 2005, in Madrid), and daughter Harper Seven (born in 2011, in Los Angeles).

Lukas Josef Podolski (born on 4 June 1985) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder, as number #10, for Ekstraklasa club Górnik Zabrze. He is regarded as one of the best German players of his generation, and among the best finishers in world football. Famed for his extremely powerful and accurate left foot, he is known for his explosive shot, technique and probing attacks from the left side.

He joined 1. FC Köln in 1995 where he made it into the first team in 2003 resulting in 81 appearances for the club before moving to Bayern München. With Bayern, Podolski won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double in 2008. Podolski returned to 1. FC Köln in 2009. He later signed for Premier League club Arsenal F.C. in 2012, with whom he won the FA Cup in 2014. He then moved on loan to Serie A club Inter Milan in January 2015, before signing six months later for Galatasaray S.K. where he also won the Turkey Cup of 2016 with Galatasaray.

He moved to Vissel Kobe on 2nd March 2017 and scored his first J-League hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Júbilo Iwata on 8th December 2019. Podolski helped and inspired Vissel Kobe to win their first major trophy; 2019 Emperor's Cup with a 2-0 victory over Kashima Antlers.

Then he had a 1.5 year contract at Antalyaspor in the 2020/2021 season signing on 23rd January 2020.

He returned home to Poland by signing a contract with Górnik Zabrze on the 6th July 2021. He still remains there as he won an extension contract on the 19th Mary 2023 which, as of writing, ends in 2025.

Podolski was eligible to play for Germany and Poland. Podolski originally wanted to play for the Polish team but was rejected by then Polish coach Pawel Janas in 2003. Podolski enjoyed great success with the German national team . He was first capped by Germany in 2004 and has been part of the squad in all major tournaments since then, winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He is the third most-capped player in German history, with 130 caps, and the third-highest goalscorer in German history, having scored 49 times.

On 29 May 2013, Podolski scored the fastest goal in German national team history, after just nine seconds of the 4-2 friendly win over Ecuador. It was at that time the second fastest international goal in history, second only to San Marino's Davide Gualtieri's 8.3-second strike against England in 1993. Podolski retired from international football on 22 March 2017 after scoring the winner in a friendly against England.

Alexis Sánchez was born on 19 December 1988 in Tocopilla, Antofagasta, Chile. He is an actor, known for Mi Amigo Alexis (2019), Pepsi Max: Blue Card (2016) and LaLiga (1929).

Gerard Piqué Bernabéu was born on February 2, 1987 in Barcelona, Spain. He is a Spanish footballer, currently playing as a central defender for FC Barcelona. He started to his professional football career with Manchester United in 2004. In Manchester United he scored 2 goals in 12 matches. After that he loaned to Real Zaragoza in 2006-2007 season. Gerard came back to Manchester United in 2007, but he said that he wants to go back to Spain. In 2008, Gerard signed a contract with Barcelona, with a 50 million Euro buy-out clause.

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on February 5, 1985, in Madeira, Portugal to Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and José Diniz Aveiro. Cristiano has an elder brother, Hugo and two elder sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia. His name was inspired by the former US-president, Ronald Reagan, whom his father was influenced by.

The island of Madeira was also the place where Cristiano first learned to master his skills as a footballer. He spent his early years playing for his local team, Nacional, and by the time he turned 12 years old, he already made his name for himself as one of Madeira's top footballers . It wasn't long before he started to catch the attention of other big Portuguese clubs. Among Sporting was Benfica, a team Cristiano and his father followed as a young boy. However he eventually chose to play for Sporting which was a team his mother loved and followed as she was growing up, to play with the likes of Figo was the dream for her son.

He was then spotted by former Liverpool manager, Gerard Houllier at the age of sixteen but Liverpool had no intentions to sign him at that time because they thought he was too young and he needed more time to develop his skills. However, in the summer of 2003, when Sporting played against Manchester United and defeated them, Cristiano caught the attention of Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player. Initially, he requested for the number 28 as his jersey number because he didn't feel that he could live up to the pressure of previous players such as George Best and David Beckham who wore the number 7 jersey.

The year 2006 to 2008 proved to be a rather controversial year for the star. In the 2006 World Cup, Cristiano faced accusations regarding his sportsmanship. In a quarter-final match against England, he was heavily criticized for sending of his club team mate, Wayne Rooney who was playing for the England team. It wasn't too long until fans started accepting Cristiano again. In 2007, he won PFA Young Player of the Year, PFA Player of the Year, PFA Fans' Player of the Year, Portuguese Footballer of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year, Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year and Manchester United's Players' Player of the Year. The year 2008 also saw him taking back the PFA Player Of The Year Award for the second time running. That same year, Ronaldo also had to deal with controversies regarding his club transfer to Spanish giants, Real Madrid. He eventually chose to stay with Manchester United and stressed to the public that he had no intentions of leaving the club.

Cristiano now lives with his cousin, Nuno and his brother in law Ze. When he is not on the field, he is a very family oriented person. Growing up, when he was about to choose football as his career, he said that it was very difficult for him as that would mean lesser time with his family, especially his mother, whom he says play a major role in his life.

During his free time, Cristiano enjoys cooking. He mentioned in an interview that he usually cooks before he leaves for his soccer practice. Because he is constantly training, Cristiano rarely has time to watch TV. If he does get the time to watch, he says he loves watching one of the local Portuguese game show which is mostly about trivia questions. Cristiano is an avid learner and he takes interest in learning new things everyday. Among Cristiano's biggest pet peeves are smoking, people who don't make an effort and dishonesty.

When the tsunami hit South East Asia, Cristiano flew to Indonesia to help those in need. He auctioned off a few stuff to help raise funds for charity. He hopes to get involved in more charity projects in the future because he believes his star status will help him reach out to others for help.

Lionel Messi is a football player from Argentina who plays for Inter Miami. He has won the Ballon D'Or, the annual award given to the best player in the world, 8 times, 2022 FIFA World Cup winner and an Olympic gold medal winner in 2008. He was born in 1987 in Rosario, Argentina's third-biggest city. He showed an enormous aptitude for football and was in the youth teams for Newell's Old Boys, his local team. Faced with mounting medical expenses to treat a growth hormone condition, Messi's family accepted an offer to move the 13-year-old prodigy to FC Barcelona, who would pay for his treatment. Messi has gone on to become one of the most decorated players in football history and has broken countless records for his club and his country.

Fernando is a life-long Athlético Madrid fan, born in working class Fuenlabrada to Flori and José. He has an older brother called Israel and an older sister called Mari Paz. He inherited his passion for Athlético from his grandfather. His first football team was Parque Four, which he joined as a fresh and innocent five year old, and his second team was called Mario's Holland, a neighborhood club which he joined when he was just seven years old. Then, aged ten, he joined a club called Rayo 13, for which he scored 55 times in a single season. He was one of the three players to earn a trial for Athlético Madrid; he joined the club, still aged just eleven, in 1995. During his debut season for the senior team, Fernando broke his leg, but still went on to play as part of the Spain Under-16s which won the Algarve Tournament in 2001. His first team debut for Athlético was on the 27th of May of that year against Leganés, and a week later he scored his first goal against Albacete. In 2003, Fernando was honored with being made the youngest ever captain of Athlético, at just 19 years of age. In the 2006 World Cup, Fernando scored the final goal against Ukraine, and fired two past Tunisia before making his hat trick by converting a penalty in the 90th minute. Back home in Spain, speculation was surrounding his transfer status. In total, Fernando scored 82 goals in 214 appearances for Athlético, and it was a huge wrench, after giving countless other big clubs the cold shoulder because they just weren't his beloved Athlético, to finally move to Liverpool for a confirmed £20m. He hated leaving his family and friends, and could speak hardly any English, but scored within 15 minutes of his debut game against Chelsea and things just got better and better for the player the Athlético fans had affectionately dubbed 'El Niño'. He has since become the first ever Liverpool player to score seven times in seven consecutive games in the Premier League at Anfield, and has scored, so far, a total of 30 goals in his debut season for the club. The Liverpool fans have a special chant, with which they only honor a few players, and they have put Fernando's name where they once put Anfield legends Kenny Dalglish and Robbie Fowler's. Fernando has been hailed as the best striker in the world, and looking at his unbelievable record, it's not difficult to see why.

Bojan Krkic was born on 28 August 1990 in Linyola, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain.

Christopher Toselli is married to Paulette Berg. They have two children.

Mark González was born on 10 July 1984 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He has been married to Maura Rivera since 23 December 2010. They have two children.