Oliver Rolf Kahn (born 15 June 1969 in Karlsruhe) is a German football goalkeeper. He started his career at Karlsruher SC and in 1994 was transferred to FC Bayern Munich, his current club. He is one of the most successful German players in recent history, having won seven German championships, five German cups, the UEFA Cup (1996), the UEFA Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup (both 2001). His individual contributions have earned him four consecutive UEFA Best European Goalkeeper awards and two German "Footballer of the Year" trophies. He played for the German national team (from 1994 to 2006), where he was starting goalkeeper of the 2002 World Cup squad which reached the Finals and won the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball for his performance. Kahn is nicknamed "King Kahn" or "The Titan."

Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born April 10, 1973, Garça, São Paulo), better known simply as Roberto Carlos, is a Brazilian football player who currently plays for Turkish club Fenerbahçe, normally as a wingback. Carlos was a member of the Brazil national team in three World Cups, helping the team reach the final in the 1998 edition and win the 2002 tournament. Before joining Fenerbahçe, he played for Spanish club Real Madrid for eleven years, winning four leagues, three UEFA Champions League trophies, and two Intercontinental Cups. He is also one of only six players to have played more than one hundred matches in the Champions League, as of February 2008. He finished second to countryman Ronaldo in the 1997 FIFA World Player of the Year award poll and was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.

Paolo Maldini (born 26 June 1968 in Milan) is an Italian footballer who plays for Serie A club A.C. Milan. The son of Cesare Maldini, he has spent his entire career with Milan, and is the most-selected player in both the history of the club and Serie A. He was named among Pelé's top 125 living footballers in 2004. On 16 December 2007, after winning the FIFA Club World Cup over Boca Juniors, he announced that he will retire at the end of the season, but later stated that he may reconsider his retirement. Maldini predominantly plays as a centre back although he sometimes plays at left back, which is his original position.

Jürgen Kohler (born October 6, 1965 in Lambsheim) is a German football manager and a former football player. His 20-year long career has seen him play in the Bundesliga and Serie A. He however ended his career on a sad note by getting sent-off in the UEFA Cup final against Feyenoord. After his playing career was over, he has managed the German under-21 side, and became sports director of Bayer Leverkusen on March 31, 2003, quitting this post on June 29, 2004. On December 17, 2005, he was appointed the coach of MSV Duisburg. On August 31, 2006, he reportedly turned down the opportunity to coach the Ivory Coast national side.

Carlos Alberto Torres (born July 17, 1944, Rio de Janeiro) is a former Brazilian footballer, one of the most regarded defenders of all time. He captained Brazil to victory in the 1970 World Cup and is a member of the World Team of the 20th Century, as well as the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame. Carlos Alberto was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.

Franz Anton Beckenbauer (born September 11, 1945) is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed der Kaiser ("the emperor") because of his elegant style, his leadership qualities, his first name "Franz" (reminiscent of the Austrian emperors called Francis in English), and his dominance on the football pitch. He is generally regarded as the greatest German footballer of all time and also as one of the greatest footballers in the history of the game. He was a versatile player, who started out as midfielder but adapted to different roles on the pitch, and he is often credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper or libero (SW). Twice selected the European Footballer of the Year, he appeared 103 times for West Germany and played in three World Cups. He lifted the World Cup trophy as captain in 1974, and repeated the feat as a manager in 1990. With the club Bayern Munich, he won three consecutive European Cups from 1974 to 1976, and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1967. He went on to become coach and president of the institution. He is also a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. In 1999, he was voted second place, behind Johan Cruijff in the European player of the Century election held by the IFFHS and he was voted third, behind Pelé and Johan Cruijff, in IFFHS' World Player of the Century election. Today, Beckenbauer remains an influential figure in both German and international football. He led Germany's successful bid to host the 2006 World Cup and chaired the organizing committee.

Zinedine Yazid Zidane (pronounced [?zine?din jazi?d zi?dan ]; born 23 June 1972 in Marseille), popularly nicknamed Zizou, is a French professional footballer of Algerian Kabyle Berber descent. A midfielder, he was a member of the French national team that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000, and was also the recipient of the Golden Ball where he captained the French side to the 2006 World Cup final; a match that saw his career end in controversy after he was sent off for headbutting Italy defender Marco Materazzi. He played for four European clubs, including Juventus and Real Madrid, with whom he won Serie A and La Liga championships, including lifting the 2002 UEFA Champions League trophy with Real after scoring the match-winning goal. One of only two three-time FIFA World Player of the Year winners (Ronaldo the other, the award has only been given since 1991), he also finished in the top three an additional three occasions, and was also named European Footballer of the Year in 1998. In 2004, fans voted him atop UEFA's fiftieth-anniversary Golden Jubilee Poll, and he was included in Pelé's selection of the 125 greatest living footballers. Zidane retired from professional football after the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Michael Ballack (born September 26, 1976 in Görlitz, Saxony) is a German football player. A midfielder, he is the current captain of the German national team, and plays club football for Chelsea F.C. in the Barclays Premier League.

David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE (born 2 May 1975) is an English professional footballer, who plays as a midfielder. He currently plays for and captains Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy and is also a member of the England national team. He earned his 100th cap for England against France in March 2008. He has twice been runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year, and in 2004 was the world's highest-paid footballer. He was Google's most searched of all sports topics in both 2003 and 2004. Such global recognition has made him an elite advertising brand and a top fashion icon. Beckham was captain of England from 15 November 2000 to 2 July 2006. He made 58 appearances as captain, and ended his tenure in that role after the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals. He continued to make contributions for the England national team in 2007 competitions. Beckham captained Manchester United for the first time on October 21st 2000 in a Premiership match against Leeds United. He came on as a substitute for regular captain Roy Keane, who was injured. Beckham went on to score a free-kick in this match, which finished 3-0. Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. During his time there, United won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons. While at Madrid, Beckham became the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches. In his final season, Real clinched the 2006-07 La Liga chamionship title (Beckham's only major trophy with the club) in the final game of the season on 17 June. In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid and sign a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Beckham's new contract with the Galaxy, effective 1 July 2007, gave him the highest salary of any MLS player in history. He debuted for the team on 21 July in a friendly versus Chelsea at the Home Depot Center, and on 15 August, he had his first start with the team, scoring his first goal in the 2007 SuperLiga semi-final. His first league start then came on 18 August in front of a record crowd at Giants Stadium.

Ronaldo de Assís Moreira, commonly known as Ronaldinho (born March 21, 1980 in Porto Alegre), is a football player from Brazil. He became a naturalized Spanish citizen in January 2007. Ronaldinho (pronounced [?onaw?d???u]), meaning "little Ronaldo", is better known in Brazil by the nickname Ronaldinho Gaúcho, in order to distinguish him from Ronaldo (already called Ronaldinho in Brazil). However, upon Ronaldo's move to Europe, he began to be known simply as 'Ronaldo', thereby allowing Ronaldinho to drop Gaúcho and remain simply as 'Ronaldinho'. Among his many achievements and accolades, Ronaldinho has been awarded the FIFA World Player of the Year award twice (2004, 2005), as well as the European Footballer of the Year award and the FIFPro World Player of the Year award twice (2005, 2006). He has downplayed suggestions that he is the best footballer in the world, telling FourFourTwo magazine, "I don't even feel I'm the best at Barça." Currently, he plays for FC Barcelona with a contract ending in 2010.

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH (pronounced [k?i??ti?nu ?u?na?du]), (born 5 February 1985 in Funchal, Madeira), better known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese professional footballer. He plays both for the English Premier League club Manchester United and the Portuguese national team. With Manchester United, Ronaldo plays primarily as a right winger. He has also been used both in a central attacking role and as a second striker. A winner of the 2007 English PFA Player and Young Player of the Year awards and third in the 2007 World Player of the Year award, Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the most talented footballers of his generation.

Uwe Seeler (born November 5, 1936 in Hamburg) is a former German football manager and retired football player. He played for Hamburger SV and also made 72 appearances for the West German national team.

Edison Arantes do Nascimento, KBE (born October 23, 1940 in Três Corações, Brazil), best known by his nickname Pelé, is a former Brazilian football player, rated by many as the greatest footballer of all time. He was given the title of Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee. In his native Brazil, Pelé is hailed as a national hero. He is known for his accomplishments and contribution to the game, in addition to being officially declared the football ambassador of the world by FIFA and a national treasure by the Brazilian government. He is also acknowledged for his vocal support of policies to improve the social conditions of the poor (when he scored his 1,000th goal he dedicated it to the poor children of Brazil). During his career, he became known as "The King of Football" (O Rei do Futebol), "The King Pelé" (O Rei Pelé) or simply "The King" (O Rei). He is also a member of the American National Soccer Hall of Fame. Spotted by football star Waldemar de Brito, Pelé began playing for Santos Futebol Clube at just 15 and his national team at 16, and won his first World Cup at 17. Despite numerous offers from European clubs, the then economic conditions and the Brazilian Football regulations benefited Santos FC, thus enabling them to keep Pelé for almost two decades until his semi-retirement in 1974. Pelé played as an inside forward, striker, and what later became known as the playmaker position. Pelé's technique and natural athleticism have been universally praised; he was renowned for his unstoppable dribbling and visionary passing, as well as his pace, powerful shot, and an exceptional heading ability, but above all he was an exceptionally prolific goalscorer. He is the all-time top scorer in the history of the Brazil national team and is the only footballer to be a part of three World Cup-winning teams. It should be noted that though he was named part of the 1962 squad, he was injured and did not receive a winner's medal. During November 2007, FIFA announced that he would however be awarded the 1962 medal, making him the only player in the world to have 3 World Cup gold medals. Since his full retirement in 1977 Pelé has been an ambassador for football and has also undertaken various acting roles and commercial ventures.

Éric Daniel Pierre Cantona (born May 24, 1966) is a French former footballer of the late 1980s and 1990s. He ended his professional footballing career at Manchester United where he won four English Premiership titles in five years (being suspended the season without title), including two League and FA Cup "doubles". Cantona is often regarded as having played a major talismanic role in the revival of Manchester United as a footballing powerhouse and he enjoys iconic status at the club. In 2001 he was voted their player of the century, and to this day United fans refer to him as "King Eric". He is the current manager of France Beach Soccer Team.

Friedrich "Fritz" Walter (October 31, 1920 – June 17, 2002) was one of the most well-loved German football players. In his time with the Germany national football team, he won 61 caps and scored 33 goals. As the son of a Vereinswirt (clubs innkeeper) of 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Walter began his football career early. At age 8, he joined the Kaiserslautern youth academy, and he made his first team debut at just 17, where he would faithfully remain throughout his career. Walter debuted with the national team in 1940 under Sepp Herberger, and scored a hat-trick against Romania. Walter was drafted into the armed forces in 1942, however, the end of the war found 24 year old Fritz in a P.O.W. camp in Marmaros-Sziget in which he played with Hungarian and Slowakian guards. When the Soviets arrived they in general took all German P.O.W.'s back to a Gulag in Soviet Union where life expectancy was about five years. Fortunately, one of the Hungarian prison guards had seen Fritz playing for Germany told them that Fritz was not German but Austrian, and his life was spared. Upon his return, Walter, who by now suffered from Malaria, again played for Kaiserslautern, leading them to German championships in 1951 and 1953. Sepp Herberger recalled him to the national team in 1951, and he was named captain. He was captain of the West German team that won their first World Cup in 1954. Ironically, that win came over Hungary. But in 1956, after the crack down by the Soviets of the Hungarian Uprising, the soccer team got caught away from home, and for two years, Fritz managed their games and provided the financial backing and in small measure, paid them back for having saved his life. Walter received his last cap during the semi-final against Sweden in the 1958 World Cup, suffering an injury which ended his international career, and retired from football in 1959. International pro teams had repeatedly offered him hefty sums, but which support from his wife always declined in order to stay at home, to play for his home town, the national team and "Chef" (German for "boss") Herberger. Fritz's younger brother Ottmar Walter, born 1924, played with him on the 1954 German team that won the World Cup. Ottmar is still alive, he still lives together with his wife in their house at Kaiserslautern itself. Fritz Walter died in 2002 aged 81. It was his dream to see the World Cup 2006 in "his" town Kaiserslautern as the town had not been selected in the smaller tournament of 1974, but it was denied with his death. But on the fourth year anniversary of his death on June 17, 2006, the United States played Italy in Kaiserslautern and a minute of silence was observed in his memory. Today people may visit the "Fritz Walter Haus" in the town of Enkenbach-Alsenborn approx. 20km east of Kaiserslautern (first exit from Kaiserslautern on Bundesautobahn 6 direction Mannheim).