Beckham, 48, is the subject of a new, four-part documentary, which comes out this week on the streaming service Netflix.
William AllenWAS_AllenUpdate: Oct 3rd, 2023 13:28 EDT
HECTOR VIVASAFP
Let me shock you: David Beckham, whose life and career are the subject of a new Netflix documentary, BECKHAM, is quite a well-off chap. According to the 2023 Sunday Times Rich List, indeed, Beckham and his wife, Victoria, boast an estimated joint net worth of £425 million (around $515m).
Beckham now a soccer club owner after earning big as player
Before hanging up his boots in 2013, Beckham enjoyed a successful, two-decade career as a soccer player. A midfielder who made his name at Premier League giants Manchester United, he went on to captain the England men’s national team and win league titles in four different countries – including the United States, where he spent a lucrative five years with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Per Forbes, the 48-year-old earned around $255m in his 2007-2012 spell as a player in Major League Soccer, if you take into account not only his salary, but also income sources such as revenue sharing and endorsements.
And Beckham’s Galaxy deal also gave him the option to lead the creation of a new MLS franchise – an opportunity he took up in 2018, when he co-founded Inter Miami CF. He owns the team jointly with the American telecommunications and construction magnates Jorge and José Más.
Inter Miami, who made their MLS debut in the 2020 season, were estimated to be worth $600 million in February this year. However, the immense on and off-field impact of recent signing Lionel Messi, arguably men’s soccer’s greatest ever player, is surely serving to push that valuation up significantly.
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Jorge Más: “Messi is going to change sport in the United States”
Beckham making big bucks from image rights
Since retiring as a soccer player, Beckham has not only gone into sports ownership, but has also continued to rake it in from image rights – a revenue stream that has been in place since he first became the face of major brands during his playing career. Currently, his endorsement deals include partnerships with sportswear firm Adidas, video game developers EA Sports, car makers Maserati, and Haig Club whisky.
In 2021, it was reported that the Beckhams had paid themselves around £21m ($25m) over the previous two years from healthy revenue at David Beckham Ventures Limited (DBVL), the company that manages Beckham’s investments and endorsements. DBVL belongs to the couple’s parent company Beckham Brand Holdings, which also owns Victoria Beckham Holdings Limited (VBHL), the firm that oversees Victoria’s fashion and beauty business.
Last year, in a move that the ex-England skipper declared would take ‘Brand Beckham’ “to the next level”, the retail and entertainment conglomerate Authentic Brands Group, whose empire includes renowned stores such as Forever 21 and Barneys, paid a reported $269 million to become a co-owner of David Beckham Ventures. Speaking to CNBC, ABG CEO Jamie Salter revealed that the group’s plan is to help expand DBVL’s focus.
“The Beckham brand has been a great brand when it comes to NIL – name, image and likeness – on the endorsement side,” Salter said. “And I think now you’re […] going to see the Beckham brand going to more merchandise: apparel, footwear, home furnishings, things like that”.
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Beckham has moved into MLS ownership after a five-year playing spell in the league.CHERYL RAVELOREUTERS
Beckham criticised over Qatar deal
Controversially, Beckham’s list of profitable partnerships also includes his appointment as an ambassador for Qatar’s tourist board ahead of last year’s World Cup in the country. The 10-year role, worth a reported $150m, has earned him heavy criticism in view of the Gulf state’s poor human-rights record.
Qatar’s treatment of the LGBTQ+ community has been a particular focus of the backlash against Beckham, not least because he established himself as something of a gay icon during his soccer career. In 2002, he became the first footballer to appear on the cover of the gay lifestyle magazine Attitude.
Defending his Qatar deal in an interview with the Telegraph this week, Beckham said: “I do a lot of research into partners that I’m going into business with. And I wanted to be involved in another World Cup. I like to see the game grow, and that means it going into territories it hasn’t been in before.
“My philosophy has always been that you don’t exclude people, because if you don’t engage and you don’t give people the opportunity, then the world doesn’t change. Engagement with that, for me, is more important than dismissing it.”
What properties does Beckham have?
The Beckhams, who married in 1999 and have four children together, own several properties worldwide. They have a $4 million home in the south of France, as well as a mansion in fashionable Holland Park, west London, which they bought for $41 million in 2013. In 2016, they also purchased a converted barn in the rural village of Great Tew in the Cotswolds, two hours from the UK capital, for around $8 million.
