10. Ronaldinho - The buck-toothed Brazilian playmaker rose to the challenge for Barcelona after Samuel Et’oo’s long term injury placed an additional goalscoring burden on his shoulders. Unfairly dubbed El Gordo (the fat one) by the Spanish press, Little Ron’s football wizardry and eye for a commercial endorsement kept him high in your sports searches.

9. Mark Ramprakash - The former England batsman continually plundered runs for Surrey but it was his consistently brilliant TV performances on Strictly Come Dancing that got you searching.

8. Steven Gerrard - The talismanic Liverpool midfielder may have lost out in the Champions League final but his performances for club and country maintained his status as one of your most-searched Premiership stars.

7. Amir Khan - The hero of the Athens Olympics is progressing well through the professional boxing ranks and boasts an unbeaten record choc full of explosive knockout wins. Likely to become an even bigger search star as he gets closer to a world title.

6. Andrew Flintoff - After captaining England in the disastrous winter tour to Australia, Freddie then hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons at the Cricket World Cup after a drunken midnight jaunt on a pedalo. Currently injured after a third ankle operation, the Ashes glory of 2005 must seem a long way away.

5. Joe Calzaghe - Unbeaten in 43 fights and a world champion for almost ten years, Welsh dragon Calzaghe has finally started to get the respect he deserves in the last 12 months. His search success peaked in April after he knocked out American Peter Manfredo, former star of The Contender, in front of 35,000 fans at the Millennium Stadium.

4. Oscar de la Hoya - The Golden Boy’s battle with Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather grossed an epic $500 million in pay per view sales alone and the hype around the fight even reached UK shores with De la Hoya breaking into Hotlist’s Top 10 search chart on the weekend of the bout. Despite losing on points, $19 million for one evening’s work should ease the pain of defeat.

3. Tiger Woods - Tiger’s imperious reign over the golf world continued apace as he extended his tenure as World No 1 extended beyond a whopping 450 weeks. With 12 Majors already in his trophy cabinet and an estimated bankroll of $300 million, the chances of British stars Luke Donald, Paul Casey and Justin Rose breaking Tiger’s supremacy remain slim.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo - Having asked for a transfer at the start of the season, the fleet-footed Manchester United winger answered his critics by dribbling his way to a Premiership title. The consistently high standards of the Madieran’s play made him a unanimous choice as PFA Player of the Year.

1. David Beckham - The world’s highest profile footballer shocked the world as he announced a move to Major League Soccer team LA Galaxy. Initially shunned by managers Fabio Capello and Steve McClaren, Becks showed his fighting qualities by battling back into Real Madrid and England’s starting line-ups. Off the pitch, interest in his every move ensured he remained your favourite sports search star.