BRAND IT LIKE BECKHAM

Class, couture and crossing the Atlantic – David Beckham talks through a career that has ebbed and flowed with opportunity, whilst discussing what it takes to be satisfied with one’s place in life. 

An icon of style and soccer, the cliché of lighting up a room is perhaps not more applicable than to David Beckham.

The former Manchester United, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and LA Galaxy star has proved that as one career ends, another can begin; and yet from the very early days of his elevation into a global football fanbase’s minds and hearts, it was clear this was someone equipped to become an exemplar of quality and class in more than one space.

The Inter Miami president turns 50 in 2025 and, as ever, the question is the same. “I will always ask what comes next,” he begins. “I need to be focusing on the step ahead, rather than the path back – it’s the way I’ve operated since I was a young boy and I don’t see that ever changing, nor would I want it to.”

For all his success, adulation and wealth – the Beckhams, combined, are thought to be worth $750million at the last count – perhaps what wows most about David is the humility that he carries with him. He remains as softly spoken now as he did when undergoing early days of media training as one of the so-called Class of 92, whose achievements for Manchester United elevated the club to unprecedented levels, as well as securing an impossibly talented group a route into superstardom.

Of course none have excelled in a greater way than Beckham, though for all his drive, determination and dedication, he attributes a lot along the way to luck.

“I honestly think I’ve been incredibly fortunate with the opportunities I have had,” he says. “I am an athlete at heart, and even though I’ve been retired for a long time now, I still see myself as a sportsperson more than anything else.

“To have been able to reinvent myself and branch out into other areas is an unexpected addition to a life that has already given me so much, and I do genuinely feel fortunate for that.”

While he may downplay his achievements, clearly it has been an almost implausible investment of effort that has got him there.

“I could never be the type of person who just sits back and does nothing,” says Beckham. “The idea of that frightens me – probably because my upbringing and career in football always pushed me to focus on bigger and newer challenges.”

If perception is to become reality, in his second half-century Beckham the businessman is most likely to come to the fore. As co-founder at Inter Miami, this chapter has already opened, with Lionel Messi and co. expected to move into the club’s new Miami Freedom Park facility in 2025. 

Since their inaugural season in 2020, Miami have playing at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, so a new chapter awaits. “It’s been a long-term dream of mine and it is incredible to see it become reality. This stadium is a crucial part of my vision for the club and the city, and while the delays have been challenging, we’re pushing forward.”

Beau Rivage Suite Antoine de Saint-Exupéry chambre

If perception is to become reality, in his second half-century Beckham the businessman is most likely to come to the fore. As co-founder at Inter Miami, this chapter has already opened, with Lionel Messi and co. expected to move into the club’s new Miami Freedom Park facility in 2025. 

Since their inaugural season in 2020, Miami have playing at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, so a new chapter awaits. “It’s been a long-term dream of mine and it is incredible to see it become reality. This stadium is a crucial part of my vision for the club and the city, and while the delays have been challenging, we’re pushing forward.”

And if he requires further support in the vagaries of production lines, Beckham need only turn to wife Victoria, whose eponymous fashion brand has grown in value exponentially over the past three year, arrowing its way towards the $100million mark.

“Victoria has been a fantastic support for me – we fire off one another and there have been times when I’ve really needed her.

“She has reminded me in the past that although this type of business world is new to me it’s really just another form of problem-solving – the sort of stuff I’ve been doing for years. It’s all about the sense of scoping out a plan and a process in order to find a solution,” he offers. “From my first ever football training session it was drilled into me the task – to move the ball from one end of the pitch to the other, and to close the deal by putting it in the goal.

“I guess,” he pauses, “not much has really changed from that in almost 50 years, has it?!”

It was the power couple’s move to the US in 2007 that marked the official launch of ‘Brand Beckham’, created with Simon Fuller, who managed Victoria’s career from her Spice Girls days and, until recently, handled most of the pair’s profitable brand deals.

In the years that followed, David signed a lifetime deal with Adidas worth $160million and has since secured endorsement deals with luxury brands like Armani and Breitling, fashion labels such as Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, as well as tech giants Samsung and EA Sports’ FIFA franchise.

In addition, he’s brand ambassador for Tudor watches, Tempur mattresses, Unicef and Nespresso coffee machines, and also held the same honour for Haig Club whisky until 2023. He’s since switched to Stella Artois. 

When the couple first teamed up with Fuller, the promoter boldly claimed they could become a billion-dollar brand, stating, “The combination of Victoria’s glamour and David’s sex appeal and sporting talent could, over time, create a $1billion brand.”

Beau Rivage Suite Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. salle de bain

The Beckhams are, seemingly, well on their way, yet without the ill effects that accompany so many other high-status families. Their four children – Brooklyn, 25, Romeo, 22, Cruz, 19, and Harper Seven, 13 – have grown up in the public eye and are always well-adjusted and polite, often seen out with their parents.

It all amounts to the perception of a man who, it appears, can do little wrong; yet the truth is this is someone who embraces disappointment and setbacks, using them as stimuli for future action. From extreme negative sporting challenges to media speculation over his personal affairs, Beckham is an exemplar of someone capable of resetting and readjusting to life’s events, good and bad.

“I won’t deny that I reflect on my achievements,” he admits, “though not as often as I’d like. It’s important to acknowledge what you’ve accomplished and to remember the journey that got you there, but the truth is, life moves so quickly that you sometimes forget how far you’ve come or how special those experiences were.

“I probably reflect more on the things that haven’t gone to plan, as it’s those that actually push me forward and encourage me to be better and to do more.”

That desire to do more, to go further than his peers, permeated into a young Beckham. At a time when, as a teenager, his mates were discovering the joys of socialising, alcohol and the opposite sex, Becks would stay in, either playing or studying football. To him, it was a natural sacrifice, and one where he didn’t feel he was missing out.

“My inspiration wasn’t mates getting girlfriends, it was older footballers whose journeys I had read about and whose route towards achieving that was abstinence from things that didn’t move the boat forward, so to speak.

“So in turning away from those temptations, I felt like I was pushing forward anyway. I never felt like I was losing out on something.”

Beau Rivage Suite Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. salle de bain

Now, for a man who seemingly has everything, there are still many elements of David Beckham’s life that he sees imperfection in. Back in 2006, he admitted to suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and has often brought the subject of his mental wellbeing into conversations.

“I don’t think anyone finds life easy, not really,” he says. “With kids, a busy schedule and a refusal to take the easy route, I’ve often felt the pressure of keeping everything together. But that’s just how it is – even with the best support system, it still requires real effort, real courage and a lot of understanding.

“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved over the last three decades of my life. Victoria means everything to me and I’m proud of my children every day.

“At times we all need to give ourselves a break and look at what we have achieved, not scrutinise over the things we’re yet to do, or have failed at.”

Beckham surely gained a timely reminder of those past achievements when making the recent self-titled Netflix documentary, and will have the chance to look back again when his star is added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “Being alongside legends like Muhammad Ali and Marlon Brando is a true honour.

“Do I think I’m worthy? No. But if someone else does, that’s good enough for me. I’ll take that, and I’m very grateful.”

Par FRANK GRICE