World Cup Dream Team
Fredrik Ljungberg
The 29-year-old Swede usually plays for FC Arsenal, but probably makes most of his money through modelling contracts (mainly for underwear) by now. His countrymen voted him best dressed man in 2000 and was voted Swedish player of the year in 2002. "Freddie" has shrugged off rumors that he's gay. "As I have always said, I know - and my family and friends know - that I am not gay," he told GQ magazine. "At the same time, if I have a gay following I don't have a problem with that. It is a compliment." Female admirers should not try to get too cozy with him just ahead of a game, however. "I felt I wasn't as aggressive as I should be on the pitch if I'd had sex the night before," he said. "So I stopped doing it."
Thierry Henry
The Arsenal striker and French national player whose elegantly aggressive style of play and wizardry on the pitch has captured the imagination of millions -- and has many fans swooning. It's hoped he can motivate a jaded-looking French side at the World Cup. Fluent in French, Italian and English, Henry is also the face of the Nike-backed Stand Up Speak Up anti-racism campaign. He has been twice nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year and in 2004, he was named by Pele as one of the top 125 greatest living players of the sport. Henry's many endorsements and spectacular play for both Arsenal and France make him one of the best-known soccer players in the world.
Roque Santa Cruz
The Paraguayan is blessed with a fabulous name and the looks to go along with it. The 24-year-old plays for Bayern Munich and has dipped into the music business with a brief cameo appearance in a video of German band Sportfreunde Stiller, where he says "Ich, Roque," which means "I, Roque," but can also be understood as "I rock." Lovely. He's also taken (his wife's name's Giselle) and even has two children, Tobias and Fiorella.
Kaka
Brazil's Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite is considered one of the midfielders of the world and currently plays for AC Milan. He apparently got his nickname, Kaka, a shortened form of Ricardo, because his younger brother, who now also plays for Milan's youth squad, could not pronounce his name. Kaka says he found Jesus after a serious accident as a result of jumping off a diving-board. He's been seen wearing T-shirts that say "I belong to Jesus" after games and points his finger to the skies every time he scores. Last December, he married Caroline Celico in Sao Paolo.
David Beckham
What's left to say about David Beckham? He's seriously rich, extremely tattooed, and -- well -- rather sexy. He's 31, comes from England and plays soccer (currently for Real Madrid.) He's married to a former pop star by the name of Victoria, with whom he has three children. England player Ashley Cole (left) didn't quite make the DW-WORLD.DE dream team, but we thought we might throw him in for kicks, anyway.
Didier Drogba
The backbone of the Ivory Coast team at the World Cup 2006, Didier Drogba is a picture of concentration and willpower on the pitch. And judging from the inches of print devoted to him and his team in the German press, Drogba's striking good looks, at times bordering on arrogance, and his stylish play have certainly earned him new fans. The 28-year-old who spent his childhood in his native Ivory Coast and his adopted country France, tried his luck in the lower French divisions, initially as a defender, and finally made his breakthrough with Guingamp. After a goal-rich time at Olympique Marseille, Drogba was sold to Chelsea for a stunning $37 million and played a part in the English club winning the Premier League in 2004 and making it to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Claudio Reyna
The captain of the US national team is one of the older players in our dream team. The son of an Argentine father and a Portuguese mother, he'll turn 33 in July. He plays for Manchester City in the FA Premier League after stints with Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg in Germany, where he became the first American to captain a major European club. He's been married to Danielle Egan, a former member of the US women's soccer team, for almost nine years. Their children, Jack and Giovanni, were born in 1999 and 2002.
Timo Hildebrand
The 27-year-old is highly unlikely to make an appearance as German goalkeeper in this year's World Cup, but we thought we might console the young man by including him in this gallery. He's quite the keeper, though, as he managed to get through almost two seasons with VfB Stuttgart without a single goal from the opposing team. He's probably got the best hairdo of any German national player. Hildebrand's not married, as far as we know.
Andriy Shevchenko
The 29-year-old Ukrainian (pictured on the left) is his team's super star. He was named European soccer player of the year in 2004. AC Milan paid $23 million (18.3 million euros) to get him in 1999 and he was recently sold to FC Chelsea for 65 million euros -- two years ago, the London club had offered 90 million euros. Shevchenko has received numerous awards from his country, including the order of merit "Master of Sports." His face also graces a Ukrainian postal stamp that came out for the World Cup. We liked this picture better -- it's almost as good as the black and white photos from a photo session with his wife, American model Kristen Pazik. The couple has a son, Jordan, who was born in 2004.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ever since celebrating a goal by taking off his shirt during the 2004 European championships, the 21-year-old Portuguese has been seen as the ultimate pin-up player. He might have received a yellow card for doing so, but the move certainly brought him cult status. Readers of a Dutch gay magazine have just elected him the World Cup's 'most beautiful, most attractive and sexiest' player. We're not sure how he feels about that one, but the Manchester United player is bound to have some female fans as well. Ronaldo, who is named after Ronald Reagan (his full name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro) is still single.
Hidetoshi Nakata
Dubbed the "Japanese David Beckham" because of his celebrity status in his homeland, the 29-year-old is considered one of the best players to ever come out of Asia. He played for several Italian clubs and is currently with the Bolton Wanderers in England. Female admirers might appreciate the fact that he's not really into watching soccer. "I don’t really understand why people are football fans," he told London's Sunday Times. "I don’t like to watch any sport so I don’t understand what makes people do that." He's not married.