If David Beckham hadn't got married to Victoria Adams in 1999 he might not have made this list. Who's to say how his career might have turned out if he hadn't been plunged into the limelight that came with his celebrity marriage to the Spice Girl. Unfortunately, it had a detrimental effect on his playing career, with aftershave adverts and photoshoots in skimpy underwear becoming as much a part of his career as Premier League football. Former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson once observed: "He was never a problem until he got married. He used to go into work with the academy coaches at night time, he was a fantastic young lad. Getting married into that entertainment scene was a difficult thing from that moment, his life was never going to be the same. He is such a big celebrity, football is only a small part."' In truth, Beckham had a touch of the prima donna to him even before his wedding. At the 1998 World Cup, 'Golden Balls' was sent off for petulantly kicking Argentina's Diego Simeone, resulting in 10-man England's elimination from the tournament and the now-infamous Sun headline: "10 Heroic Lions. One Stupid Boy." The midfielder was able to salvage his reputation over the following years but cannot shirk away from the fact that, during his playing days, he was one of the biggest divas in the business.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
