Beckham. The football was the research.
David Beckham hasn't kicked a ball professionally since 2013. Last year his company turned over $110.5 million and paid him a £39 million dividend. Football was the part holding him back.
THE GIST ON DAVID BECKHAM: "David Beckham"
How does a retired footballer make $65.7 million?
Last year, Beckham's company turned over $110.5 million, made $65.7 million in profit, and paid him a £39 million dividend. 13 years after he'd stopped playing.
The company is called DRJB Holdings, and it does three things: brand partnerships, licensing deals with pretty much everyone you've ever heard of, and a production company called Studio 99. Around this summer's World Cup he was in about 12 campaigns: McDonald's, Lenovo, Bank of America, Verizon, Stella Artois. In a tournament he obviously wasn't playing in.
What was holding him back?
Think about what a footballer is, commercially. You belong to a club. You do one boot deal, because you have two feet. Your value goes up and down with your form, your fitness, your age, and whether you get sent off playing against Argentina.
Every single one of those limitations vanished the day he retired.
What did he sell in 2022?
In 2022 he sold 55% of himself, which apparently you can do, for £200 million to Authentic Brands, the company that owns Reebok, Ted Baker, and the estates of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. David Beckham now owns 45% of himself.
His production company, Studio 99, made the Netflix documentary about him, which makes the brand more valuable, which he then sells.
So what was the football for?
Twenty years of football weren't really the business. They were the research and development, and the very expensive, painful way to build one thing: a name that people trust internationally.
Everyone has a version of this. What you're actually worth is what people say about you when you're not there. Most of us spend our whole lives building it somewhere that owns our time, and never get to sell anything.
Beckham selling 55% of himself: clever or a bit sad?
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Quick answers
What does Beckham's company DRJB Holdings do?
Three things: brand partnerships, licensing deals, and a production company called Studio 99.
What did Beckham sell in 2022?
55% of himself, for £200 million, to Authentic Brands, which owns Reebok, Ted Baker and the estates of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. He now owns 45%.
Why was football holding him back?
A footballer belongs to a club, does one boot deal, and has a value tied to form, fitness, age and red cards. Every one of those limits vanished when he retired.
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