David Beckham: David Beckham was born in London, England to an appliance repairman, Ted Beckham and a hairstylist, Sandra. David was the middle child and the only boy. He grew up in a family who loved Manchester United and watched all of their games.David started playing soccer at a very early age. Showing lots of potential at a young age, scouts from Manchester United asked him to play for the youth league which would eventually lead to playing on the actual team if he was good enough. By the age of eighteen Beckham was a starter on the national team. In England he was named the Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year in 1997. Beckham was surpassing English soccer, he was ready to become known worldwide. Beckham, his wife Victoria, and their first son moved across the Atlantic so he could start a five year $250 million deal with the L.A. Galaxy. David then announced his retirement on May 16, 2013. David Beckham realizes his amazing accomplishments and will remain a world wide legend for many years to come: "If you had told me as a young boy I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over 100 times and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy. I'm fortunate to have realized those dreams."
Mia Hamm: Mariel Margaret Hamm is often considered the best female soccer player to ever exist. She played for the United States national team for seventeen years, building one of the biggest fan bases of any american athlete.She had the international record of most goals scored until 2013 when Abby Wambach surpassed the amazing goal count of 158. Hamm was the youngest player on the national team at the age of fifteen. She is probably most known for the 1999 world cup match against China. There was a few years where the United States had the best group of women soccer players that had ever exsisted. It was amazing that all of these players got an opportunity to play together in such unison. As Mia Hamm always said: "I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion."
Christiano Ronaldo: Ronaldo grew up in poverty with many brothers and sister, a drinking father, and a mom who worked as much as possible to support her family.His early life in Portugal was shaped by hardship, especially because of his father, who often drank too much. The way he dealt with these hardships was by playing soccer. He was pushed by his dad and himself to be good at something in order to be successful. By the age of ten everybody already knew who he was. "All he wanted to do as a boy was play football," his godfather, Fernao Sousa, recalled for British reporters, adding, "He loved the game so much he'd miss meals or escape out of his bedroom window with a ball when he was supposed to be doing his homework." The first time Ronaldo played Manchester United he was sixteen years old. They immediately recognized his talent and offered him £12 million for his services - a record fee for a player of his age. He lead the team to completing amazing tasks that would be known for years to come. After his mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and his dad died from alcohol overuse, Ronaldo wasn't so sure about his loyalty to Manchester United. Real Madrid realized how much of an opportunity this was, so they offered $131 million dollars to him. Of course Ronaldo could not decline, especially because he wanted out anyways. He wanted to become the best soccerplayer possible and he knew the only way to do that was to branch out and grow on a new team. In addition to his FIFA World Player of the year award, Ronaldo has also won the coveted Ballon d'OR, the Golden Boot, and been named the UEFA Club Forward of the Year.
"I want to win all the trophies possible!" – Cristiano Ronaldo
"I want to win all the trophies possible!" – Cristiano Ronaldo
Abby Wambach: Abby had the pleasure of growing up with six older siblings, so all the roughhousing helped her develop a competitive mind-set that served her well in various sports.She was always athletic, being the star in soccer and basketball during high school. She later became a Florida Gator, leading the soccer team to winning the national championship as a freshman, and scoring the schools record of 96 goals in one season. She was drafted right out of college on to the U.S. National Team. For only one year the "Rookie" got to play with her idol Mia Hamm. When Mia and Abby played together they had a 1-2 scoring record. Abby was the new impressive player, because of how much she continued to improve in such a short time. She has always been notorious for her amazing headers off of corners that almost always land perfectly in the back of the net. Unfortunately the Washington Freedom Women's United Soccer Association folded after her first year on the team. Wambach joined the updated version of the Washington Freedom following the formation of Women's Professional Soccer. This league lasted for four years, but once again it folded in 2012. The Team didn't start up again until early 2013, and it has been getting more popular since. As Abby always said: " To watch people push themselves further then they think they can, it's a beautiful thing. It's really human."