Under Christmas trees around the world, parcels of underpants and bundles of briefs are waiting to be opened -- perhaps with a tinge of dismay -- by the men in your life. Underwear is a big hitter on the traditional holiday gift list and now soccer stars are muscling into the market. Colombian World Cup star James Rodriguez became the latest footballer to tackle branded underwear, launching his J10 collection for Bronzini last month and posing semi-naked to show off the goods on offer. The 23-year-old was following the lead of his Portuguese Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, whose CR7 underwear label recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. David Beckham's pants hit high streets in close to 40 countries when the former LA Galaxy and Manchester United maestro teamed up with Swedish fashion store H&M in 2012. Even though he is approaching 40 -- that's 17 years older than undies rival Rodriguez -- Beckham stripped off again this summer to model his wares. But why do footballers choose to branch out their brand in the most intimate way ? Christmas comes round once a year but footballers are in the shop window continually, Steve Martin, the global CEO for brand agency M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment, told CNN. Underwear is an every day purchase and wearing the right underwear has seen it become something of a lifestyle item. For some of the major players, it's a