If an athlete is indeed the most recognizable person you would have to think that they're going to come from a sport that's played globally in each continent such as soccer, basketball, golf, tennis, boxing, etc. As much as Canadians revere Wayne Gretzky how many people in Africa or South America are really going to identify him or how many people outside of North America, Latin America and possibly Japan are going to know who Barry Bonds is. By narrowing the list to athletes from global sports it becomes much easier. 

Here's the top 5:

Honourable mention: Pele, Lance Armstrong, Yao Ming, Andre Agassi

	Kournikova has gained international attention from her high-profile relationships. (Source: AP)

5. Anna Kournikova - The former tennis star never experienced any real success other than a few doubles tournaments during her shortened tennis career. Off-the court attention coming from her looks and numerous relationships with much older hockey stars (Federov and Bure) carried her to global stardom. After her R. Kelly type experiences as a teenager with the Russian superstar hockey players she finally settled on singer Enrique Iglesias as her husband. So if you take into account Anna's numerous magazine covers, sponsorship contracts, high-profile relationships and the fact that she played in a popular global sport it all equates into the world's most recognizable but certainly not, the most successful female athlete.

4. Muhammad Ali - The G.O.A.T. I would argue that in his prime Ali would have held this position. He is one of, if not the most charismatic and engaging sports personalities ever to come along. He is still well known and his name continues to be mentioned whether it's when boxing greats are discussed, his life is being depicted on screen by Will Smith, his participation in Olympic torch lightings or his public struggle with Parkinson's disease. The main argument Ali has going against him is the current generation of people that may have only heard about him in passing or have seen glimpses of his fights on TV.

The next three athletes on the list stand "dandruff shampoo" over everyone else. Two out of the three athletes were/are the most dominant players of their generations and perhaps of all time and interestingly enough the athlete in the top spot is the odd man out. Where all hold common ground and can directly attribute for the international popularity is the incredible and grandiose marketing campaign that was built around them creating all three into sporting icons.

3. Tiger Woods - You know an athlete is influential and iconic when they can take the long-built perception of a sport and turn it on its ear. Before Tiger's arrival, golf was thought of as a game played by middle-aged white guys - an afterthought in comparison to the four major sports. Eight years after Tiger won his first green jacket the world of golf has been changed; it is now being played by kids at an earlier age, minorities are now picking up the game, golf balls and equipment sales have skyrocketed and Nike has built their entire golf line around Woods. When taking stock of Tiger's popularity you can pretty much bet that he's got the North American market covered off well. Much of Australia/New Zealand and Europe know who he is, especially Sweden and parts of South America and Africa would be able to recognize him.

The knock against Tiger's global notoriety is the fact that the Asian market is just starting to develop for him. He has already made in-roads in part due to the fact that he's half Asian but his true popularity is still unrealized. Golf in Asia is still very much a rich-man's oriented game especially in countries like Japan and Hong Kong where land is at a premium. Once the game becomes more accessible for the masses Tiger's popularity will immediately follow suit. China is one part of Asia that is really starting to get behind golf, which is evidenced by the number of golf courses that are being built and the effort to attract big-time professional golf events like the Johnnie Walker Classic. Plus Tiger has the ultimate marketing machine behind him in Nike and if you need evidence of what that brand can do for an athlete read on to the next selection on the list.

	Michael Jordan was able to combine individual, team and corporate success. (Source: Getty Images)

2. Michael Jordan - Though his third comeback effort with the Washington Wizards didn't leave many fond memories, Jordan's legacy remains untarnished. Jordan is in an elite and exclusive class of athletes that were able to stand out as individuals while at the same time perform as ultimate team players. Jordan was able to parlay that unique combination into 5 regular season MVP trophies and 6 championships. Since basketball runs side by side with soccer for global participation it's fairly automatic to pencil No. 23 as one of the most recognizable faces in the world. When you're ranking Jordan though, you have to give equal weight to the corporate side of his career.

As it stands now Michael Jordan is the most successful athlete pitchman that's ever come along. His Air Jordan line of shoes for Nike is in their 20th year and is just as popular as ever. He has a successful Jumpman clothing line for Nike. His "Be Like Mike" Gatorade campaign is still one of the most recognized ad campaigns ever done. The lone strike against Jordan is his current inactivity. People will never forget MJ but as time goes by attention will be bestowed on those still in the game such as LeBron James.

1. David Beckham - Even though he's not the best player in his sport David Beckham stands alone when it comes to his international fame and stardom. Even if you don't know Beckham from his soccer play, chances are you would have heard about his marriage to Posh Spice. 'Becks and Posh' are daily fodder for the British tabloids and despite Prince Charles and Camilla's wedding, Mr. and Mrs. Beckham are the true royal couple.

Beckham's immense popularity is due in large part to his style, looks and open family life. Becks' style is emulated - each new hairstyle change sends guys scrambling to copy "the" latest look. For the 2002 World Cup in Japan/Korea he opted for a faux Mohawk look with blonde highlights and days later Asia was deluged with people asking for the same look. Not all his hairstyles hit the mark; there was the cornrow look that only had Boston Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo as a fan.

On the field he's known as a playmaker and specialist. Beckham's signature ability is bending the ball whether it is around defenders for a shot or a long cross pass to a teammate His ability even spawned the movie title "Bend it Like Beckham". He's made numerous free kicks in big moments, which has simply added to the iconic state that Beckham has evolved into.

The internationally renowned teams he's been a part of such as England, Manchester United and now Real Madrid have also heavily aided his global popularity. The move to Real helped expose Becks to fans in markets he normally wouldn't have touched as greatly, e.g. fans in South America who follow Ronaldo's play will undoubtedly know who his teammate is.

Breaking things down geographically Beckham owns Europe, is known in soccer-crazy South America and after talking to friends in both Asia and Africa Beckham is a pseudo demigod. In fact his weakest market is probably North America and considering all the people that know him in Canada and the U.S. it pretty much sums up why David Beckham is now the most recognizable person in the world.