The FIFA World Player of the Year took over from England and Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham, who topped the list for the last three years.
AC Milan surged up to joint second in Serie A thanks to Filippo Inzaghi's hat-trick in a 5-1 home thrashing of lowly Torino on Sunday.
England brushed aside Slovakia 4-0 in a friendly at Wembley on Saturday, a victory notable mainly for David Beckham's 109th cap and a rare international goal for striker Emile Heskey. The 33-year-old Beckham, who replaced Aaron Lennon at halftime to move past the late Bobby Moore as England's most capped outfield player, marked his milestone by setting up Wayne Rooney for England's second 20 minutes from time.
Serie A leaders Inter Milan could only draw 1-1 at home to Torino on Sunday while David Beckham was again the inspiration as AC Milan climbed up to second.
Inter Milan moved six points clear at the top of Serie A by beating Catania 2-0 with 10 men on Wednesday, while David Beckham's second goal in two games could not stop AC Milan being held 1-1 at home by Genoa. Second-placed Juventus lost ground with a 2-1 defeat at Udinese, while Milan are two points further behind them after the draw.
Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and his swimsuit model girlfriend Irina Shayk were voted the most attractive pairing in the soccer world, with David Beckham and wife Victoria coming in second place. Take a look at the ten hottest couples in soccer.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
The 2024 British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) were held at the Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre, London, and saw its share of the good and the bad.
Check out the droolworthy pics of men in moustache and beard and vote for your favourite.
The F.RI.E.N.D.S Reunion was probably the best show to have come out this decade, applauds Prateek Sur.
Players led by England captain David Beckham make up almost a quarter of the top 100
A front-page picture of David Beckham's son Romeo in floods of tears reflected England's mood after their team's extraordinary defeat by France.
Can the England captain inspire his team to their maiden Euro triumph? Have your say.
Misfiring Chelsea striker Fernando Torres needs two weeks of intensive sprint training and Britain's former Olympic champion Darren Campbell believes he can help the Spaniard regain his explosive pace.
Veteran Surinam athlete Letitia Vriesde was today stripped of her 800 metres Pan American Games gold medal after she failed a drugs test.
'Wayne Rooney is the golden boy of English football. Don't kill him,' coach Sven-Goran Eriksson urged.
Bikash Mohapatra takes a look at the five best winter transfers in 2014.
Steven Gerrard became the sixth English player to play 100 times for his country when he captained his side against Sweden in their friendly international to open the Friends Arena on Wednesday.
England's victory lifted them to top spot on 10 points from four games, one ahead of Turkey.
Tiger Woods roared back to the top of the golf world rankings after a splendid display in the first half of 2013 which lifted him to the top of the list of the biggest sports earners last year. Rediff.com presents the ten biggest sports earners last year.
David and Victoria Beckham say they have called in lawyers following tabloid allegations that the England soccer captain was unfaithful to his pop star wife.
Real Madrid's lacklustre show and the absence of David Beckham may have cost the team some of its fans in China.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni joined the likes of Roger Federer and David Beckham when he launched his own signature brand of international perfumes at an event in Dubai.
The flame for the London Olympics burned brightly on British soil on Friday after David Beckham stepped off a special flight from the Games birthplace of Greece to light a cauldron with a golden torch.
British Olympic swimmer Tom Daley's gruelling work-out regime seems to have paid off in more ways than one after coming top of Heat Magazine's annual 'Hottest Hunks' poll.
Gareth Bale will have to find his place within a star-studded Madrid line-up quickly because the world's most expensive player is sure to be compared constantly with his new team mate Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Neymar.
Steven Gerrard, John Terry, David Beckham, Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves have been included in the 28-man squad for next Wednesday's friendly against Germany at Wembley.
Analysts say it was Beckham who single-handedly boosted Real's fan base and sponsorship potential in a continent where fans follow individuals as much as teams.
Thousands of Chinese fans lined the streets on Friday to greet David Beckham and the Spanish champions.
Barcelona and Argentine forward Lionel Messi is the highest-paid football player in the world, ahead of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to France Football magazine.
There is something of a 'new dawn' feeling about Euro 2008 and it has a lot to do with the absence of some of the great names of European soccer.
Eriksson indicated that Rooney, who limped off in the first half, had broken a bone in his foot.
England's captain said nothing phases the 18-year-old striker.
The flame for the London Olympics burned brightly on British soil on Friday after David Beckham stepped off a special flight from the Games birthplace of Greece to light a cauldron with a golden torch.
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