The making of the man: Football stars posing with their younger selves

No one, no matter how brilliant or successful, can escape the ravages of time.

Even the most athletically gifted among us cannot break free from old Father Time’s cold grasp.

It obviously takes a while for someone to notice the effects of ageing, but what if we could skip back a few years to see just how mercilessly cruel the clock has been?

Well now we can, through the power of Photoshop.

So without further ado, here’s a selection of English football heroes past and present, posing with younger versions of themselves. You’ll notice that the years have been kinder to some more than others…

David Beckham: 1992 and now

Like a fine wine…

Michael Owen: 1996 and now

Still killing ‘normcore’ two decades on…

Steven Gerrard: 2000 and now

A few more lines in his forehead after the last 12 months…

Jimmy Bullard: 2005 and now

This was never going to end well…

Robbie Savage: 2001 and now

If only the banter could have been chopped with the hair…

Gerry Francis: 1976 and now

Credit the man for keeping that haircut all this time…