4. David Beckham
Owen Humphreys/PA Archive/Press Association ImagesNow one of football's most popular characters following his selfless decision to play for Paris Saint Germain free of charge and donate his wages to charity, it's easy to forget that David Beckham was once the most reviled footballer in Great Britain. Rewind to 1998, to a World Cup game between England and Argentina. Beckham had gone down after being bundled over by Diego Simeone, and petulantly flicked out a boot in the direction of the South American. Simeone made the most of the 'collision', but it was enough to persuade the referee to hand Beckham a straight red card. England went on to lose the match and Beckham was made a scapegoat of by English media soon after, with the now-famous Sun headline decrying: "10 heroic lions... One stupid boy." Beckham had a tough time thereafter as he battled to resurrect his public image, but gradually won back the support of fans, particularly
when he scored a penalty against Argentina in 2002 in a 1-0 win for England that inflicted a measure of revenge and once more made 'Golden Balls' a hero.