Lionel Messi was born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, and currently plays for FC Barcelona and the Argentine National Team. Considered to be one of the finest football players today, Messi has received several Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations and won both by the age of 22. Messi has also won five La Liga titles and three Champions League titles, scoring in two of those finals, against Manchester United in both 2009 and 2011. Lionel Messi is truly an amazing player.

Francesco Totti was born in 1976 in Rome, and is considered the best Italian player of his generation. He is the captain of Serie A club Roma, and leads the team all-time in goals and is the most-capped player in team history. He has been given very colorful nicknames by the Italian media, including Il Bimbo d’Oro (The Golden Boy), Er Pupone (The Baby) and Il Gladiatore (The Gladiator). Totti is currently the top active goal scorer in Serie A, and he’s fifth all-time in league history in goals scored. He’s also won many individual goals, including a stunning record five Italian Footballer of the Year awards and two Serie A Footballer of the Year awards, and Totti was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.

Born August 17, 1977, Thierry Henry is a French soccer player who currently plays for the New York Red Bulls in the MSL. Born in a suburb of Paris, France, Henry signed his first professional contract in 1990 and made his professional debut in 1994 as a 17 year-old. He played in Europe for Juventus, Arsenal and Barcelona in Europe before making the transition to MLS. He is Arsenal’s all-time goal scoring leader, has been nominated for the FIFA Player of the Year award twice, was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year twice, and the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year three times. Henry has also been placed on the UEFA Team of the Year five separate times.

Whether it’s his starring role for some of the most popular soccer teams in the world or his ability to constantly be in the news, David Beckham is clearly one of the most recognizable sports stars in the world regardless of the sport. Massively popular from his time spent playing for Manchester United and Real Madrid, Beckham continued that tradition through to his time in the U.S. and his most recent time spent playing for A.C. Milan. He holds the record for number of appearances for the England national team, and has twice been the runner-up FIFA Player of the Year.

Born on February 5, 1985 in Funchal, Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most well-known soccer players in the world today. He plays wing for Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portugese national team. Ronaldo is the highest paid soccer player in history, after switching from Manchester United to Real Madrid for a reported $132 million dollars. In 2008, Ronaldo won the Champions League with Manchester United, and he was also named Player of the Tournament. He was also named the FIFPro World Player of the Year and the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2008, in addition to becoming Manchester United’s first Ballon d’Or winner in 40 years. He was given the name Ronaldo by his father, and was named after Ronald Reagan, his father’s favorite actor.