David Beckham will be remembered as one of the greatest talents that came out of English football after his hugely successful and memorable career for England, Manchester United and Real Madrid.
Beckham became the first Englishman to win league titles in four countries after sealing the Premier League with United, La Liga with Madrid, the MLS with LA Galaxy and Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain.
Six Premier Leagues, two FA Cup ’s and one Champions League were the highlights of his career, and just some of his 19 major trophies, along with that famous free-kick against Greece at Old Trafford in 2001 to secure England’s qualification to the 2002 World Cup.
And those on-field achievements were also matched by off-field ones for Beckham and his incredible fortunes, as the ex-pro has become a big businessman since his retirement and now has a net worth of $450million (£334m).
The 46-year-old certainly made plenty of money from his successful football career and by the time he retired, he ranked 7th in the highest paid athletes of all time with $800 million to his name.
Like many footballers, sponsorship deals and endorsements from clothing brands have also helped to bump up his earnings.
Beckham has partnered with the likes of H&M, Breitling, Sainsbury’s, Armani, Gillette, AIA Group, and PepsiCo, and helped to create the famous Adidas Predator boots, while his own fragrance has been a popular seller since its creation.
But since that retirement, Beckham has gone on to make even more endless amounts of money and none more so than through his own company DB limited.
Beckham’s earnings and net worth have also been boosted from his wife, Victoria, and her own fashion line under the Beckham Brand name.
Beckham laid the foundations for his financial success in the United States when he joined LA Galaxy as a player during his career but a major move from the east Londoner was made when he became the main owner and President of Soccer Operations at Inter Miami CF, who now play in the MLS.
The former England captain also decided to co-own Salford City FC, who have had a remarkable rise up through non-league and have established themselves as a Football League club – currently in League Two.
In May 2020, Beckham signed a deal for at least $19.78 million over five years with Guild Esports, before sealing another worth $55 million to feature in EA Sports’ FIFA 21.
Most recently, he signed a deal to become the face of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar next year – perhaps his biggest money maker yet, and certainly most controversial.
It was revealed last month that he had apparently agreed a £150 million deal to become the face of the World Cup, yet has received huge criticism and backlash from it due to the appalling human rights record set out by the country and the unnecessary need for the deal.
