10 Players Who CHANGED Football [VIDEO]

Soccer great David Beckham has played for Manchester United, England, Real Madrid and the L.A. Galaxy. He is married to Victoria Beckham, also known as Posh from the Spice Girls.

Who Is David Beckham?

Soccer star David Beckham was born on May 2, 1975, in London, England. A phenom almost from the moment he could first kick a soccer ball, Beckham began playing for Manchester United, England’s legendary soccer team, at age 18, and was a starter by age 20. In 2007, he signed a five-year, $250 million contract with the L.A. Galaxy. In May 2013, he announced plans to retire.

From the Cruyff turn to Ada Hegerberg winning the first women’s Ballon d’Or, these players have inspired a generation & changed the future of football forever.

Pele – From his World Cup debut in 1958 at the age of 17 to the twilight of his career in America, Pele changed the way soccer was played. He brought joy and skill to the sport unlike anything ever seen before.He won everything he could possibly win. He played better than anyone else. And he even helped popularize the sport in America, the nation most actively hostile to the sport, when he became a superstar with the glamorous New York Cosmos.

Maradona – tested positive for cocaine during the 1990 World Cup. Since his retirement, he’s gained weight, lost weight and gained it back at alarming rates. He’s also gone off on crazy, obscene rants (scroll to the bottom of the page) about his body parts.

For his unquestioned brilliance and questionable sanity, Maradona must be considered one of the sport’s most revolutionary figures.

Cruyff – His brilliance led the Oranje to second place in the 1974 Cup (though many consider that team to have been the best in the world that year). He retired from the international game in 1977 after helping his country qualify for the 78 Cup, where it again finished second.

Beckenbauer – is generally regarded as the greatest German player of all time. For a country (we’re including West Germany) that has won three World Cups and made the finals of four more, that’s saying something.

Alfredo di Stefano was one of the greatest players at the dawn of the modern era.Born in Argentina to a family of Italian immigrants, di Stefano represented Argentina, Colombia and Spain at the international level. But he never appeared in a World Cup.It was at the club level that di Stefano showed his brilliance.A tall, powerful striker, he led Real Madrid to the European Cup title each of the first five years the competition existed. He scored twice in the inaugural final as Real Madrid beat Stade Reims 4-3.The Spanish giants have won nine European Cups, the most of any team. That run can be traced back to the days of di Stefano.