10 Biggest FIFA World Cup "What Ifs"

Until 2006, David Beckham had the distinction of receiving the most famous red card in World Cup history. A petty trip on Diego Simeone in the Last 16 clash with Argentina saw him sent off. England lost on penalties and Beckham became the scapegoat for all of England's failures.

Few at the time considered that England would have had to beat the Netherlands and Brazil to advance into the final. Nor the fact that a victory over Argentina was far from a forgone conclusion. Yet, the media and fans latched onto the idea that this was down to Beckham's immature act. History proved that his career would not be defined by this moment but galvanized by it instead.

That being said, Beckham's career could have been very different. He could have become an even bigger superstar if the media chose to build his idol status. The impact of this would mean that he either would have been too big to lose for Manchester United, or that the move to Madrid came earlier.

Another take on this is that Beckham would not have evolved into the great player he was. Without the adversity, would he have had the determination to prove everyone wrong? Would he have been able to build the mental strength to take him to the heights he'd eventually reach? Perhaps not.