Footballers are always in the news these days, whether it's for their success on the pitch or because of their glamorous lives off the pitch. You only have to look to the tabloids or the glossy magazines to read stories of the turbulent relationships between our modern day football heroes and their WAGs. Being a footballer seems to be a dream job for young boys growing up and idolising them. On paper it appears to be the ultimate job for a young boy; they earn lots of money for doing a job they love, they seem to have the pick of girls queuing up to go out with them and they get treated like royalty on the social scene.
The job they do means that they experience extreme highs and lows on the pitch and have the opportunity to achieve admiration and glory from their fellow team mates and fans. However, this fame teeters on a precarious edge depending on how well they are performing. The downside of the immense fame that comes with being a professional footballer is that the press effectively have a free pass into your private life. You only have to look at the news this week to see the negative effects of this invasion of privacy on John Terry's life. Press involvement in the lives of celebrities can make or break their reputation with one article or one flippant comment.
The popularity of a footballer such as David Beckham has had its ups and downs over the years. He shot to fame when he joined his beloved team Manchester United in 1992 was given the nickname 'Golden Balls' and nowadays still has a huge fan-base. He became even more famous when he married Spice Girl Victoria Beckham in 1999 and established himself as one half of the most powerful couple in Britain. In 2004 allegations surfaced that David Beckham cheated on his wife with his former personal assistant Rebecca Loos and although he denied the allegations there was a period of time when his popularity waned and he lost some of his followers as a result.
However, David Beckham is a good example that as long a player continues to perform well on the pitch, any indiscretions off the pitch can not necessarily be ignored but pushed to one side. With Becks continuing to prove his popularity with the press and the media by gaining multi-million pound deals with the like of Pepsi, Gillette and Armani. People still regard him as a legend in his own right and continue to be fascinated by the saga that is Posh and Becks.
Many football fans both old and young still idolise football heroes like Beckham. Young wannabe stars are constantly being pushed into the limelight to follow in the footsteps of legends such as David Beckham and are gathering leagues of fans along the way. Footballers, like famous actors or pop stars create a sense of hysteria and obsession around themselves that continues to captivate us. Their skills on the pitch and their glamorous, decadent lifestyles are so far out of reach for the majority of us that we cannot fail to be fascinated by them.
If you are a mega football fan or know somebody who is, then the perfect present would be a signed piece of memorabilia from their favourite football star. Genuine Memorabilia provide a vast category of signed sporting memorabilia.
