And his impact in support of London will have been far more significant than that of his much more low-profile Real Madrid colleague, Zinedine Zidane, who was backing Paris.Beckham first learnt to play football on Hackney Marshes, close to where the Olympic complex will be built. He threw his weight behind the idea of a bid as early as 2002, insisting that "this opportunity will not come around again during the lifetime of anyone around here".Ben RussellDavid Beckham: I want to have the Olympics on my manorThe presence of David Beckham - the east London boy who became a global brand - in Singapore in the final days before the vote was among the crucial factors in bringing the victory home.Although there has been some criticism of his current form for both England and Real Madrid, he remains a massively popular figure in many parts the world. London's success will leave behind a monument to his two terms as mayor, previously best known for the introduction of the congestion charge.Mr Livingstone forged an unlikely alliance to secure a deal to fund the Olympics using £1.2bn from the London Development Agency and a surcharge on council tax payers and business rate payers. An outsider for the post - he was not on the list of favoured businessmen generated by the Government - he owes his position to the support of Barbara Cassani, the bid's first chair.Matthew BeardKen Livingstone, Mayor of London: A great opportunityKen Livingstone might have hated sport at school, but that did not stop the Mayor of London from devoting his energy to achieving London's Olympic dream.
"You couldn't buy a walnut whip with 38p," he said.Mr Livingstone has stressed the regeneration of east London and improvements to the capital's transport system. Having found his niche he progressed to ad-land where he flourished, eventually buying out the UK office of the US agency Nadler and Larimer before founding Mills Smith and Partners in 1985. He was instrumental in securing the funding package alongside the Lottery operator, Camelot, which won over the Chancellor Gordon Brown by ensuring that the exchequer would not foot the bill for the Games.Mr Livingstone insisted the 38p-a-week charge was value for money. Nectar followed, establishing him as one of British marketing's keenest brains.That London had a chance of success says much for the way that Mr Mills has turned around the bid. Three years later he devised Air Miles, selling his 49 per cent share to British Airways in 1994. He describes his task in simple terms: "It's my job to make it happen."He left school aged 15 to wrap printing blocks on Fleet Street, before joining the marketing department of The Economist.
It was with this knowledge that he marshalled the lobbyists in Singapore.Mr Mills, 53, an enthusiastic yacht racer who had never been to an Olympic Games prior to his appointment, settled quickly into the IOC lobbying scene and has pledged to continue working alongside Lord Coe for the next seven years. Instead he has pledged to run the organising committee of the London Games for the next seven years."It was typical Seb, he came from behind and took them on the bend." said Neale Coleman, London 2012 board member.Matthew BeardKeith Mills, London bid: My job is to make it all happenPerhaps the warmest tribute Lord Coe paid to his team while addressing the IOC assembly was aimed at Keith Mills, the campaign's chief executive.The millionaire businessman and founder of the Air Miles, and Nectar loyalty schemes, has travelled the globe with Lord Coe, clutching a briefcase containing the profiles and likely voting intentions of the IOC. As a millionaire with a lucrative endorsement deal from Nike and a chain of health clubs to his name, he says he did not need the job for its six-figure salary. Instead, many saw the job as his calling ever since he retired from athletics with a double Olympic 1,500 metres gold.Before yesterday's triumph he was being talked about as the next leader of the International Association of Athletics Federations. Asked whether he still intended to stand down, Mr Blair said there would be "no change of plans".The Prime Minister said he was so thrilled by the result from Singapore that he spontaneously hugged Jonathan Powell, his chief of staff."It's not often in this job that you punch the air and do a little jig and embrace the person next to you," said Mr Blair. "You feel sympathy but it's not the first thought you have," he replied.Tony Blair, Prime Minister: It's not often in this job you punch the air and do a jigTony Blair used his renowned personal charm to try to win over around 50 Olympic delegates before yesterday's crucial vote.The Prime Minister's brand of one-to-one sofa diplomacy is admired even by his political enemies, and was used in a string of 20-minute meetings with IOC delegates.Yesterday he said he still planned to step down as Prime Minister before 2010 despite the British Olympic victory which will seal his legacy. Yesterday, when I was going up to my room to sleep, there were people coming down the stairs who had been at meetings with Tony Blair and Sebastian Coe."I didn't think that was what it was about, myself.