David Beckham

The boy from East London first made everyone sit up and take notice when he scored a wonder goal on the first day of the 1995/6 English football season. In lobbing a 60-yard belter from inside his own half to beat Wimbledon goalkeeper Neil Sullivan, he marked the arrival of a football phenomenon.
Born in Leytonstone on May 2, 1975, David Robert Joseph Beckham was a Manchester United fan from a very early age. He even insisted on wearing a Red Devils shirt when training with London club Tottenham Hotspur as a schoolboy. The admiration was mutual – the biggest football club in the world had its eye on the young player – and, aged 16, he signed as a trainee with Man U.
The skinny teenager rose from cleaning the first team's boots to a spell in the reserves, before making his league debut in 1995, just a month shy of his 20th birthday. But it wasn't until 1997 that he really emerged into the spotlight when he met and fell for Spice Girl Victoria Adams, commonly known as Posh.
The attraction between the couple was instant, and ten months after embarking upon a relationship they announced their engagement. "I've met the man I know I'm going to grow old and wrinkly with," enthused Victoria.
David could do no wrong – until the 1998 England/Argentina match in France. The golden boy of English football was sent off early in the second half for a petulant kick against Argentinean player Diego Someone. England was out on penalties and Beckham's name was mud.
Following the match, David flew straight to New York where the Spice Girls were on tour. And it was here the couple's son Brooklyn Joseph was reportedly conceived.
Beckham junior kicked off life on March 4, 1999, after being delivered by caesarean section at London's Portland Hospital. Four months later his parents tied the knot in a lavish ceremony at Dublin's Luttrelstown Castle. Brooklyn was joined by second son Romeo on September 1, 2002, with the youngest Beckham, Cruz, making his debut in early 2005.
In November 2003 David received what he described as his "best" honor - an OBE from the Queen. "It's not just for me but for Manchester United, England, all of my teammates and my family," he said.
The same year it was announced the devoted Manchester United fan would be leaving his beloved club and moving to Madrid-based Spanish team Real Madrid on a four-year contract.
Another monumental decision came just after England bowed out of the 2006 World Cup for the second time in the quarter-final stages. The soccer ace announced he was to step down as captain of the squad - a role he held for six years. "It has been an honor and a privilege to captain our country and I wish to stress that I want to continue to play for England," he declared.
The success enjoyed by David on the football pitch was perhaps only equaled by that of "Brand Beckham". Marketing initiatives based on his iconic status included a fragrance as well as lucrative sponsorship deals - with the likes of Gillette, Pepsi and Motorola. Keen to pass on his love for 'the beautiful game', David has also branched out into establishing football academies for young people in both the UK and the United States.
And David Beckham leaves Real Madrid at the end of the season for Major League Soccer's the Los Angeles Galaxy and a $250 million contract. He will become the biggest star to play soccer in the United States since Pele and Franz Beckenbauer played in the now-defunct North American Soccer League in the 1970s. MLS even changed its rules on salary caps, clearing the way for Beckham to sign the lucrative deal and become the first player to be signed under the new rule.