BECKHAM

Beckham with England National Team

1996 was also the year Beckham made his international debut in a game against Moldova.

The same summer, Beckham scored his first international goal in the June 26, 1998 game against Colombia, although he made waves in a negative way. During the 1998 World Cup in France, Beckham kicked Diego Simeone lightly in the back of the leg, in retaliation for having been fouled by the player.

Needles to say, Beckham's vengeful kick basically kicked himself -- out of the game, that is. Outnumbered by Argentina, England lost the game (at least that's what they attribute their loss to), and Beckham's nation was unforgiving, to say the least.

At the 2002 World Cup, in another tense matchup with Argentina, Beckham redeemed himself in the eyes of English fans when he converted a penalty kick that eventually gave England the victory. The red card he received four years earlier had been forgiven.