Top 10 greatest Manchester United midfielders of all time

#5: David Beckham

David Beckham's free-kicks were nothing short of nightmares for goal-keepers

The best crosser of the ball I have ever seen. You would make a run and he would put the ball into your path without having to break stride. A brilliant footballer.

While Ryan Giggs may appreciate the golden boy of Manchester United, David Beckham deserves a worthy credit for never letting anyone down whenever his ability was called into question.

'Becks' is one of the first names you will encounter on a nostalgic walk down United's glorious memory lane. Establishing himself as a legend after coming through the youth ranks, Beckham has lived a fairytale football career.

As a legendary number 7 of Manchester United, we remember Beckham for the two most distinctive quirks of his game; crosses and set-pieces. At Old Trafford, it became a common sight to see the fans celebrating louder once David Beckham stepped up to take a free-kick in his trademark style. Most of his goals have come from the dead balls he sent swerving in the top corners of the net.

The former English skipper is also regarded as the king of crosses. His pin-point crossing enabled him to find teammates in the box with marvellous precision. An unbelievable cross was a hallmark of Beckham's set-piece aptness. Beckham marshalled the right midfield in Ferguson's wingless wonders, starkly different to the winger Andrei Kanchelskis whom he replaced in the line-up.

Apart from being a great player, Beckham also enjoyed his status as the most popular footballer of his generation, becoming a household name all over the world. Although his popularity did prove to be the reason for his rift with Ferguson, Beckham did leave an unforgotten legacy behind him at Old Trafford.

The Englishman won 13 trophies in a ten-year span from 1993 to 2003, scoring 85 times in 394 appearances for the English giants.