2026-05-15 11:55:40
Sir David Beckham has become Britain’s first billionaire sportsman.
The collective wealth of the former England captain and his wife Victoria Beckham reached £1.185 billion this year, according to figures from the 2026 Sunday Times Rich List.
It means that the couple are placed second in the list of wealthiest sportspeople, only behind the family of former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone – whose wealth was placed at £2 billion.
Beckham is a co-owner of MLS side Inter Miami – who have the legendary Lionel Messi in their ranks and are estimated to be the most valuable club in the US football league.
The former Manchester United midfielder has also made vast sums as a brand ambassador for companies such as Hugo Boss and Adidas.
Meanwhile, Victoria’s wealth has largely been generated by the fashion label that she set up in her name, after she originally found fame as a member of pop group the Spice Girls during the 1990s.
Andy Milligan, author of Brand It Like Beckham, says that David and Victoria’s wealth reflects their astuteness in the business world.
He told The Times: “They’ve always had a long-term ambitious strategy, beyond the football career for David, beyond the music career for Victoria. They had identified those areas where they were going to develop over time. But what they were also really savvy about was getting the commercial structures in place to monetise them.
“That’s not something that the average football player or average pop musician would have been thinking about. Understanding that was the way the world was moving, getting exceptionally good advice along the way and being really savvy enough to take it — which is what really smart people do — has been how they’ve really monetised the brand.”
The Beckhams are joined in the top 10 of the list by stars including seven-time F1 world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton (£435 million), golf ace Rory McIlroy (£325 million), current England captain Harry Kane and tennis legend Sir Andy Murray (£110 million each).
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