Current form aside, no one can argue that Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain (since the cash arrived) are among the most illustrious clubs in world football.
And only one player has ever had the honour of donning all four jerseys as a player.
David Beckham had his fair share of lows during a 20-year professional career, but representing the world's most well-known clubs is on the other end of the scale.
However, I have forgotten to mention two of his former clubs. There is Los Angeles Galaxy of course, but also and probably more importantly, there is Preston North End.
Twenty years ago, towards the end of the 1994-95 season, Manchester United sent him out on loan to tonight's opponents in the FA Cup, in order to give him some of the valuable experience that would later serve him well.
When he joined the Lilywhites in March 1995, they were down in the fourth tier of English football. That was reflected in his wage packet of €540 per week - along with a €70 bonus - which is a far cry from the salary he would command later in his career.
As stadium manager Paul Bradley told The Telegraph: "David Beckham played down here on loan and I have his contract on my office wall. I was told to get rid of it by a former chairman, but I was sensible enough to keep it."
On the pitch though, Beckham was certainly earning his crust, scoring twice and providing four assists in five appearances. That tally included one of his trademark free-kicks:
He also scored directly from a corner kick, showing off his ability from dead-ball situations as Preston finished fifth in the table to qualify for a Third Division playoff place.
David Moyes, who played alongside Beckham briefly at Preston, only had good things to say about his former team-mate:
"David was frail but he was confident. He had ability and we saw that in his first game. He came on as a substitute against Doncaster and scored direct from a great, inswinging corner.
"I’ve always found him humble and a very kind man. He was a terrific player and he went on to become a great player. He’s had a huge impact on the game."
The loan got cut short after just five games as Alex Ferguson brought Beckham back to Old Trafford to make his league debut on April 2nd and the rest as they say is history as Fergie began to build a team around his fledglings.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
