David Beckham: This is David Beckham and he occasionally plays football. In his time, Beckham has been one of the greatest players to ever step onto a pitch. But his pinpoint crosses, immaculate passing and ability to score wonder goals from free kicks are only a minor part of what contributes to his global appeal. The Beckham brand is a marketing powerhouse, and he is one of the most recognized sporting icons in the world.
Stanley Matthews: If Dixie Dean was the champion footballer of the 1920’s and 30’s, England’s greatest wartime player was undoubtedly Stanley Matthews. The son of a Feather Weight boxer, Matthews was born in Stoke on Trent, and joined the local club Stoke City straight from school.
Alfredo Di Stefano: If the 20’s was the era of the striker, the period after World War II was when football truly became ‘The World Game’. Argentine legend Alfredo Di Stefano controversially pioneered the mass movement of South America’s best to the shores of Europe.
Pele: Pele grew up in a railway town in Brazil. Too poor to afford a proper ball, he and his friends kicked around a sock stuffed with newspaper, or sometimes a grapefruit. In 1950, Brazil went agonizingly close to winning the fourth World Cup. There was no actual final, and in the decisive group match, the side lost 2-1 to Uruguay.
Johan Cruyff: Cruyff’s brilliance was matched by an insatiable appetite to improve his game. That hard work began to pay off for Cruyff and his beloved Ajax, as the club made its way to the 1969 European Cup Final.
George Best: In 1968 Busby guided his side to the pinnacle of club football: The European Cup Final. No English Team had conquered Europe, and at Wemble, United faced Benfica, led by Eusebio, a goal machine who would later be voted one of the Century’s best. But United had their own weapon: a skinny 22 year old from Belfast named George Best.
Diego Armando Maradona: Argentina is a nation of 33 million Catholics, but to many Argentine football fans there is only one God. His name is Diego Armando Maradona. Maradona was a kid from Buenos Aires slum who became a superstar. He was just five foot five inches, but on a football field, he stood taller than anyone.
Roberto Baggio: In Italy no player has polarized fans so much as Roberto Baggio. He burst onto the international scene at the 1990 World Cup, which Italy hosted. Baggio scored twice, including the goal of the tournament. Italy fell in the semi’s to an Argentine side led Diego Maradona, but Baggio’s legend was already beginning.
Roy Keane: Manchester United and Irish legend Roy Keane didn’t succeed in spite of being a hard man – he made that his calling card. Growing up in Country Cork, Keane took up boxing at 9. As a young footballer, he had to prove himself to coaches who thought he was too short for the big time.
Los Galacticos: What can be better than having the world’s best player on your team? The answer? Having all of the world’s greatest players on your side. That was the thinking behind ‘Los Galacticos’ – the team of brilliant and famous footballers brought together by Real Madrid. The nickname Los Galacticos means ‘superstars’ in Spanish – and these were players whose skills were out of this world.
Ronaldinho: Outside the Galacticos, only one player really spends it like Beckham. His full name is Ronaldo De Assís Moreira, but you’ll know him as Ronaldinho. In his home country of Brazil, Ronaldinho advertises just about everything – laptops, chewing gum, crisps and photo copiers. Overseas he is as well known for his magical skills on the football pitch as the adverts he’s shot for the likes of Pepsi and NIKE.
