David Beckham
David Beckham is named as sexiest man on planet by heat magazine H&M

English football star David Beckham has been named "The Sexiest Man on the Planet 2012", by Heat Magazine.

The publication has rounded up 101 of the hottest hunks on the planet and placed the poster boy of English football and former Real Madrid and Manchester United icon on the top of them all.

American actor Ryan Gosling - the star of films like "The Ides of March" (2011) and "Crazy, Stupid, Love" (2011) - came in second, with fellow actors Ryan Reynolds, Bradley Cooper and Jake Gyllenhaal rounding out the top 5.

"Our readers and panel of experts clearly have impeccable taste as there is genuinely no one more deserving of the title 'Sexiest Man on the Planet 2012' than David Beckham," theSundaily quoted Heat Magazine's editor, Lucie Cave, as saying.

"He's got the lot - talent, style, sex appeal, charisma. Women adore him, men want to be him, and we're absolutely thrilled that he has topped our poll," she added. Cave also said this was the publications first definitive list of the sexiest men in the world.

The top 25 men were selected based on votes by readers, who took part in an online survey conducted at www.heatworld.com and then by an independent panel. The others were selected purely on the basis of readers' votes.

The panel that judged the top 25 consisted of Premier Models founder Carole White; celebrity photographer Nicky Johnston; and Heat Style Editor Jo Hoare.

Check Out the List of Heat Magazine's 25 Sexiest Men of 2012...

1. David Beckham11. George Clooney21. Justin Timberlake
2. Ryan Gosling12. Harry Judd22. Olly Murs
3. Ryan Reynolds13. Gary Barlow23. Ian Somerhalder
4. Bradley Cooper14. Adam Levine24. Michael Fassbender
5. Jake Gyllenhaal15. Gerard Butler25. Tinie Tempah
6. Robert Pattinson16. James Franco
7. Tom Hardy17. Taylor Lautner
8. Johnny Depp18. Harry Styles
9. Hugh Jackman19. Brad Pitt
10. Zac Efron20. Orlando Bloom