A soccer _ and tonsorial _ artist: a look at some of David Beckham's most famous haircuts

FILE - In this April 2, 2013 file photo, Paris Saint Germain's David Beckham arrives for his Champions League quarterfinal soccer match against Barcelona in Paris. Beckham is retiring from soccer after the season, ending a career in which he become a global superstar since starting his career at Manchester United. The 38-year-old Englishman recently won a league title in a fourth country with Paris Saint-Germain. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File) (The Associated Press)

FILE - This is a May 25, 1999 file photo of Manchester United's midfielder David Beckham holding the winner's cup, after his side defeated Bayern Munich in their Champions League final football match, at the Nou Camp stadium. David Beckham is retiring from soccer after the season, ending a career in which he become a global superstar since starting his career at Manchester United. The 38-year-old Englishman recently won a league title in a fourth country with Paris Saint-Germain. He said in a statement Thursday May 16, 2013 he is "thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level." (AP Photo/Phil Noble/PA, File) UNITED KINGDOM OUT (The Associated Press)

LONDON – Through the years, David Beckham has become as famous for his hair styles as for his free kicks. A look at some of his more famous "hair-lights":

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1990s

Still a youngster in 1999 and enjoying his most successful season as a soccer player, Beckham had dyed blonde hair and left it long in the front and short at back. If it was for good luck, it worked because Beckham and his Manchester United teammates won the Champions League, the Premier League and the FA Cup in the same season — the first English team to win the treble.

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2001

As the years passed and Beckham became more and more a cultural fixture, the midfielder shaved his head altogether. But his nonhair style didn't last too long.

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2002

At the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, Beckham sported a fauxhawk — or fake Mohawk. It was simple enough to do, letting his hair grow a little over the top of his head and then greasing it up straight, but it sure caught on. The style became a global sensation, and Beckham was the reason.

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2003

By the time he was ready to leave England for the glamour of Real Madrid, Beckham was back to blonder and longer hair, looking a bit like Brad Pitt's brother. The long locks didn't last, but they almost certainly gained him even more fans.

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2006

His hair got shorter again with time, and darker. By 2006, his hair was cut short on the sides, flared up at the front. Not exactly a fauxhawk, but certainly harkening back to those days.

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2007

He made a return to the shaved-head look in 2007, just as he was leaving Europe for a new career in Los Angeles with the Galaxy. Once there, he let the top grow but kept the sides as close as a Marine.

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2013

Now with Paris Saint-Germain, the aging Beckham (he's 38) is looking more dapper than ever with his hair combed back over the top his head and few days' worth of beard almost always gracing his lips, cheeks and chin. Often looking more like an English businessman than a sportsman, the grease-backed coif is likely to be his last as a soccer player.