This 40-year-old father of four began his soccer career when he was 16 and continued playing professionally until his retirement in 2013. In that time, he played 523 games and scored 97 goals for six different teams, two of which he was loaned to.
But Beckham has been in the spotlight for more than just his soccer ability. When he married Victoria Adams, the couple became a global phenomenon.
Beckham has appeared in video games, commercials, and movies, and he is the face of numerous brands throughout the world, including H&M and Adidas. Just this year, he was named second on Forber’s list of the world’s highest paid retired athletes, behind Michael Jordan.
He also owns a Major League Soccer team and is actively involved in multiple charities, celebrating 10 years as a Unicef ambassador this year.
Here's a look at the life and career of Beckham.
Beckham said he always wanted to play professional soccer. He used to play on a local youth team, and at age 14 he attended Manchester United's training academy. His parents were massive United fans.
He signed his first contract with United when he was 16, and he debuted with the team in 1992. During his 11 years with United, he scored 62 goals and the team won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League and the World Club Championship in 1999.
In 2001, PlayStation released the video game "David Beckham Soccer." It was later released for other platforms as well. In 2002, "Go! Go! Beckham! Adventure on Soccer Island" was released for Game Boy Advance. He also graced the cover of the FIFA '98 video game.
The movie "Bend It Like Beckham" came out in 2002. Beckham wasn't able to make a cameo appearance, so a lookalike was used instead. He did make a cameo in the movies "Goal! The Dream Begins," "Goal II: Living the Dream," and "Goal III: Taking on the World."
Beckham signed a four-year contract with Real Madrid in 2003 for about $50 million. Forbes found that in the years Beckham was on the team, Real Madrid sold $600 million worth of soccer merchandise, increasing profits by 137%.
He moved to Los Angeles and made his Major League Soccer debut with the LA Galaxy in 2007 in what was said to be a record-breaking $250 million contract, but that wasn't necessarily the case — that number included endorsements. During his time there, he was loaned to Milan twice, once in 2009 and again in 2010.
After the Beckhams made the move to the US, the family had some TV specials. ESPN ran a documentary called "David Beckham: New Beginnings," and Victoria had a reality-show special called "Victoria Beckham: Coming to America," both produced by their agent Simon Fuller's company, 19 Entertainment.
He signed a five-month contract with Paris Saint-Germain in 2013, and while playing for the team, he donated his entire salary to charity. He announced his retirement at the end of the five months. He made Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid retired athletes this year, raking in $75 million in 2014, second behind Michael Jordan.
Beckham has numerous endorsement deals, including Breitling, Sky Sports, and Belstaff. Beckham also has a few deals in China, including Jaguar, China Auto Rental, and Sands China. He also became an ambassador for the Chinese Super League. Last year, he even partnered with the beverage company Diageo to launch a new whiskey, and he signed a deal with Global Brands Group. Between them, he is supposed to bring in more than $20 million.
And you can't forget about his fragrance and clothing deals. As an Adidas user, he signed a $130 million lifelong contract back in 2003. Beckham extended his deal with Coty, a beauty-product company that sells his fragrances, through 2017. His 2012 deal with H&M extended to include swimwear this past year and will also include a new line of menswear.
A year ago, Beckham announced the purchase of an MLS team to bring to Miami after being given the option to purchase a franchise for $25 million as designated by his MLS contract back in 2007. The deal might not work out if Beckham and his investors can't get approval for a stadium.
The club's valuation touched $600 million and then increased to nearly $1 billion thanks to the arrival of Messi from Paris Saint Germain. As a respected figure in the world of football, Beckham's presence has attracted attention and elevated the profile of Inter Miami CF both domestically and globally.
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