Road Ahead For David Beckham

[Folami David]

David Beckham will not be short of work offers after he ended a playing career that made him a globally recognised celebrity, with sponsors and sporting bodies jostling to secure his services.
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The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Los Angeles Galaxy star expressed the hope as he announced his retirement on Thursday that he would be best remembered as a footballer, rather than a celebrity.
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The 38-year-old said it "hurt" when people considered him little more than a famous face and said it was the right time to retire because he was "leaving as a champion" after winning the French league title with Paris Saint-Germain.
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But Beckham's tattoo-covered body and ever- changing hairstyles have been plastered on advertising billboards around the planet for years and his retirement from competitive football, and the commitments it entails, is expected to only increase his value to sponsors.
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The photogenic boy from modest beginnings in east London has already amassed a fortune of £165 million and currently has sponsorship deals in place with Adidas, H&M, British supermarket chain Sainsbury's, watch company Breitling and COTY fragrances.
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"Brand Beckham" also includes his pop star-turned- fashion-designer wife, Victoria – who long ago nicknamed him "Goldenballs" – and their four children are no strangers to the limelight.
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The fact that the three older children have been in schools in England since they returned from Los Angeles last year suggests that the Beckhams intend to base themselves in London.
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Aside from his lucrative commercial tie-ins, Beckham is also in demand as an ambassador, glad-handing officials and spreading the bonhomie with a ready smile that he has mastered.
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PSG, the super-rich Qatari-owned club who recruited him for the final few months of his career, are in talks with his representatives about continuing their relationship in some form.
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Club president Nasser El-Khelaifi said on Friday: "He is very interested in the idea of remaining involved in this project, which he believes in. We are in discussions.
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"We hope to reach an agreement."