The Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder, who is married to Spice Girls star Victoria, topped a poll by British female fans to find the sexiest player in the world, beating Barcelona and French striker Thierry Henry into second place.

West Ham's Swedish international and Calvin Klein model Freddie Ljungberg came third, while Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo was fourth.

Simon Lassam, of www.thepeoplesclub.com which conducted the poll, said: "The survey results show the British public have an eye for who is hot on the soccer pitch and that it's not just British Premiership players that are catching their eye.

"They have picked a really multi-cultural mix, perhaps reflecting the amount of influence other countries have on our soccer these days. It shows David Beckham hasn't lost his sex appeal. He's loved for his looks, style and ball skills, despite having moved to Los Angeles."

David, 32, is not the only member of the Beckham family to be regarded as sexy. Victoria was recently named the world's Sexiest Mother. The 33-year-old star - who has three sons, Brooklyn, eight, Romeo, five, and two-year-old Cruz, with David - was given the title by lingerie company
Victoria's Secret in their annual What is Sexy list.

Peoplesclub.com's World's Sexiest Soccer Stars: 

1. David Beckham (LA Galaxy, England)
2. Thierry Henry (Barcelona, France)
3. Freddie Ljungberg (West Ham Utd, Sweden)
4. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester Utd, Portugal)
5. Fernando Torres (Liverpool, Spain)
6. Paolo Maldini (AC Milan, Italy)
7. Kaka (AC Milan, Brazil)
8. Michael Owen (Newcastle Utd, England)
9. Andriy Shevchenko (Chelsea, Ukraine)
10. Frank Lampard (Chelsea, England)