Famous Soccer Players
At the top of the list of the most famous soccer players is Pele, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento. Pele, a Brazilian who retired in 1977, played in 1,363 games and scored 1,281 goals. He went to the World Cup three times. He is best known for this incredible goal-scoring ability.
David Beckham is a British athlete who is a member of the English National Team. Currently he plays in the United States for Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy team at the position of midfielder. He is captain of that team and he also served as captain of the English team from 2000-2006. He was born in 1975 and began playing for the Manchester United Team at the age of 17. He later left to play with Real Madrid and was with them for four seasons. He has been with the L.A. Galaxy Team for one year.
Christiano Ronaldo, known simply as Ronaldo, is a Portuguese soccer player who plays for the English Manchester United Team as well as the Portuguese National Team. He is considered one of the greatest players in the world, and in 2007 came in third in the World Player of the Year Award. He did win the 2007 English player of the Year and Young Player of Year awards. He was born in 1985 and is already one of the most famous soccer players with a lot of playing years still ahead of him.
Wayne Rooney is another young soccer star considered one of the best in the world. He was born 1985 in Liverpool, England and first played for the Everton youth team. In 2004 he signed with the Manchester United team in a six-year deal worth 48.3 million. Rooney scored 4 goals in three games for England at Euro 2004, bringing him to international notoriety. He plays the position of striker.
A French player, Thierry Henry is considered not only one of the world’s most famous soccer players, but also one of the best soccer forwards of the last decade. He signed with AS Monaco in 1990 and in 1994 made his debut as a pro. After one season with the Italian Juventus team, Henry joined the English Arsenal squad in 1999 with a contract of 10.5 million pounds. After 8 years, and leading Arsenal to the UEFA Champions League Final in 2006, Henry made another transfer in June 2007--this time to FDC Barcelona for 16.1 million pounds. He also plays for the French National Team and led them to wins at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000. He is currently France’s top goal scorer of all time.
Ronaldo de Assís Moreira, known by soccer fans as “Ronaldinho,” is a Brazilian player who became a Spanish citizen in 2007. Born in 1980 in Porto Alegre, in both 2004 and 2005 he was named the FIFA World Player of the Year. He has also been European Footballer of the Year and in 2005 and 2006 was the FIFPro World Player of the year. He is currently under contract with FC Barcelona.