Football legends unrecognisable in brutal prediction from 20 years ago

An unearthed archived edition of football magazine Four Four Two has revealed a tongue-in-cheek Photoshop mockup of one of most iconic sportsmen of all time.

Recently a Twitter user posted photos from the 1998 Four Four Two edition which showed a cheeky prediction of what David Beckham could look like if things went pear-shaped.

Beckham, who rose to fame during his period with Manchester United in the late 90s, is one of the most recognisable figures in the world.

He is married to Posh Spice, was named ‘The Sexiest Man Alive’ by People Magazine in 2015, is a style icon and remains at the age of 44 an advertiser’s dream.

But the Four Four Two prediction clearly didn’t agree with his stardom and painted a very different picture of Beckham – in an alternate reality.

Beckham clearly doesn’t appear to have the thin hair or missing tooth in 2019.

Accompanying the Four Four Two picture was a tongue-in-cheek caption: “Now well into his forties, he is reduced to appearing for England veterans’ teams alongside his fellow Fergie fledgelings and reminiscing wistfully about his glory days.”

“Posh Spice, who has ballooned to 20st since her singing career collapsed, now models clothes for ‘the larger lady’.”

Another cheeky mock-up image predicted how Liverpool legend Steve McManaman would age.

Again, not quite accurate.

Beckham remains one of the most recognisable icons in the world despite retiring from football in 2013.