David Beckham has been beaten by his Manchester United replacement, Cristiano Ronaldo, in a study of the most influential footballers. The England midfielder has been on a gruelling PR mission ahead of his move to LA Galaxy.
But a report by the Spanish University of Navarre has revealed that Beckham is the third most important player behind the Portugal star and Barcelona forward Ronaldinho.
The study looked at the media value of the players and how they contributed to their team's success over the season.
Ronaldo climbs up an incredible 21 places from last year's survey while his Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is ranked as the most important coach with rival Chelsea's Jose Mourinho in second place.