David Beckham's net worth compared to the rest of the Class of 92 | OneFootball

Highlights

David Beckham… One of the best footballers that the English game has ever produced, an icon of Manchester United, and now owner of the club that currently has megastar Lionel Messi on the books. Oh, and did we mention that he is absolutely stinking rich?

Given the success that he had during his playing career and after it with Inter Miami and his other business ventures, it’s hardly a surprise to see him now worth millions and millions. But what is incredible is just how much more he is worth than the rest of the 'Class of 92'.

Six footballers emerged from United’s brilliant academy, becoming key players for the club who guided them to multiple bits of silverware. Earning their name by winning the FA Youth Cup in that year, Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes then went on to win several Premier League titles and a famous Champions League in 1999 as part of the iconic treble.

While all are regarded as legends of the club today, Beckham is certainly the most recognisable and most well-known out of them all. His incredible career at Madrid and beyond helped cement him as a global superstar, but his significant earnings are also boosted by other ventures too. Let’s take a look at his career to date, and how his incredible net worth stacks up against his Class of 92 peers.

David Beckham's Football Career

Shining at Man Utd

Becks is known across the globe for his time as a professional footballer, starting his career at Premier League heavyweights United. The Englishman made his debut in 1992 at the age of 17, having been unearthed by club legend Sir Bobby Charlton, and quickly set about becoming a star. A right midfielder by trade, he managed to become a United legend as he scored 86 goals and picked up 109 assists in 394 appearances for Sir Alex Ferguson's decorated side.

Beckham was part of a historic Manchester United side as he won the Community Shield four times, the FA Cup twice, the Champions League once and the Premier League on six occasions, making him one of the most successful English players of all time. That historic treble in 1999 continues to be one of the most iconic moments in the club’s history, with Beckham playing a major role in the European final against Bayern Munich.

His influence in football was growing by the year, and his dazzling looks, and relationship with Spice Girl, Victoria had him thrown into the cult of celebrity. As such, Gurinder Chadha's 2002 indie flick, Bend It Like Beckham, was released to critical acclaim, with its title being an ode to Beckham's ability to a whip a football in that trademark stance.

England hero (and villain)

His impressive performances for Man United under Sir Alex Ferguson did not go unnoticed as he made his national debut for the Three Lions on 1st September 1996 at the age of 21 under manager, Glenn Hoddle in a 0-3 win away to Romania in a World Cup qualifier. He went on to represent his country at the 1998 World Cup in France, although that tournament ended in disaster for him when he was shown a red card for lashing out at Diego Simeone when England played Argentina.

That would not be the nightmare ending to his career with the Three Lions, though. Going on to captain his country for six years, Becks scored 17 goals and assisted 42 goals during his international career. There were some iconic goals in there too, like his incredible free-kick against Greece to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, completing his redemption arc from a few years ago. The face of the so-called 'Golden Generation', the right-footed wizard would go onto become the second-most capped Englishman ever, with 115 caps, 10 behind Peter Shilton, although Wayne Rooney's 120 would soon surpass him in second. His last England appearance was in 2009 in a 3-0 win over Belarus, where the former Madridista would register an assist.

Time at Real Madrid

After a well-documented run-in with Sir Alex Ferguson, Beckham soon headed for pastures new, signing for galacticos, Real Madrid after an intervention from Zinedine Zidane. This was a huge moment for the Englishman. To play for Los Blancos is a huge achievement in itself and emphasises what a truly gifted and dexterous midfielder he really was. At Madrid, he scored 20 goals and assisted 52 times in 159 appearances for the club. During his four years at the Bernabeu, Beckham and his teammates' talents translated seamlessly, winning a La Liga title and the Copa Del Rey.

At the age of 32, Becks swapped Spain for America in 2007, becoming a monumental signing in the MLS for LA Galaxy. This move was huge at the time for the league as it showed they could attract huge players from Europe. Like Cristiano Ronaldo moving to the Saudi Pro League last year, Beckham acted as a catalyst for many other stars moving to the States, including the aforementioned Messi.

He had quite a successful period as he scored 20 goals and assisted 42 times over six years, but would spend time on loan at other European giants during the MLS off-season. Two loans to Italian heavyweights AC Milan came in 2009 and 2010, with Beckham getting the chance to play alongside Ronaldinho, Andrea Pirlo, and Paulo Maldini. However, you could tell he was coming towards the end of his prime as he only scored twice, but he was still playing at a very good level.

Beckham's career ended after another loan at Ligue 1 behemoths Paris Saint-Germain. He decided to retire from football in 2013 at the age of 38. The Englishman played the last match of his career on May 18, 2013, in a Ligue 1 tie for PSG against Brest where he was made captain.

David Beckham's Career after his football retirement

Beckham has also been in the limelight a lot after he retired from football. The Englishman, who is now 48, has had an illustrious career post-football, littered with wealth and opportunity.

He has been a model for many popular brands including Calvin Klein, Pepsi, Adidas and Gillette. He has also been a spokesperson for charities, including his own, the Victoria and David Beckham Charitable Trust. This trust provides wheelchairs to children in need. Beckham is also an Ambassador for the revered global charity, Unicef, battling to end child poverty, starvation, malnutrition, and general abuse.

Then, there are the two football clubs that he owns. Shortly after retiring, Beckham created his own team in Miami, a vision that would join the MLS in 2020. While success has not yet fallen their way as of yet, signing the sport’s most popular star, Messi, was a statement of intent and a massive plus in terms of branding. Additionally, he is one of the co-owners of League Two side Salford City alongside his 'Class of 92' teammates, with the group taking over in 2014. Since then, they have shot up the football pyramid, going from the Northern Premier League to the football league in a matter of years.

'Beckham' - the Netflix Documentary

Earlier this year, it was announced that the Beckham's had partnered with Netflix to release a documentary on his incredible footballing career, and unforgettable fame outside the sport. With never-seen-before access, and tell-all interviews, it was set to be a revelatory affair to say the least.

Released at the end of September, the docuseries quickly garnered worldwide attention, sending it to number one in the Netflix charts. While some have criticised the series as no more than a PR stunt that will grow the Beckham brand even further, the show does offer a fascinating insight into the mind of an all-conquering sportsman, and a world-leading businessman.

From battles with his mental health, and his alleged affair to his marriage to Victoria and his life balancing the demands of being a professional athlete with being a doting father, a supportive and loving husband, and a tabloid-hounded celebrity, Beckham depicts one of the most famous people in the world like we've never seen him before.

Beckham's Big Endorsements

In October 2021 Beckham signed a 10-year deal that paid him £150 million to be Qatar's tourism ambassador, per the Evening Standard. This controversial deal meant that he was one of the major faces of the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Forbes has revealed that he has also gained $42 million from commercial endorsements. These have come from sponsors including Adidas, Coty, H&M, Sainsbury's, Samsung and Breitling. Despite stepping down from his deal with Whiskey brand, Haig Club, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, and Paris Saint Germain star was reportedly spending $46,000 per day on his various "hobbies" in 2021, per Mens Health.

Beckham’s net worth

Quite the career right? And one that has brought in quite the sum of cash over the years. But just how much is Beckham worth now after all these years?

Well, according to the Mirror, after his playing career, all the endorsements, side hustles and more, Beckham is now reportedly worth £372 million, roughly $450m. That sum is also significantly boosted by the fact that he owns multiple properties around the world.

According to Business Insider, Becks is estimated to have earned a whopping $800m during his playing career, and in March 2022, he sold 55% of his company DB Ventures, which handled most of his commercial interests after he retired. Per the Times, he received around £200 million from the transaction.

How he compares to the rest of the Class of 92

It comes as no surprise that Beckham is the richest out of the six players, especially given all his business ventures away from the football pitch. But what is fascinating is that he boasts a higher net worth than the other five players combined by quite some way.

All six of the group hold stakes in Salford, as previously mentioned, but then they have other commercial ventures too, with the richest of the remaining five members being Ryan Giggs. His 24-year career would have seen him amass quite the bank account, but his ventures since then have only added to his worth. He has had coaching opportunities with United and then Wales, while also co-owning hospitality company ‘GG Hospitality’ with Gary Neville. Features in adverts from companies like Reebok and FIFA only added to his total, with the Mirror writing that the Welshman is worth a lucrative £50 million.

Several of the Class of 92 are all worth the same amount today. Gary Neville has become the face of Sky Sports’ coverage and commentary, while also co-owning ‘GG Hospitality’ with Giggs and launching his investment business, ‘Relentless’. Despite all that, he is only worth £20 million, a mere fraction of Beckham’s total.

His brother, Phil, has instead gone down the route of coaching, holding roles with the England women’s team and also Inter Miami, before being sacked by Beckham prior to the arrival of Messi. Now, he is the assistant coach for the Canada men’s team. His coaching career and playing days have seen him amass the same net worth as his brother, although with Gary’s profile only rising now that he’s on ‘Dragons Den’, a gap between them could open up soon.

Also worth £20 million today is legendary midfielder Paul Scholes. After cementing his legacy as a Premier League great at United, the 48-year-old has featured on TNT Sports’ punditry team. Along with his stint as Oldham Athletic’s manager, he has also had multiple endorsements over his career, famously from FIFA and Nike during his playing days.

Finally, we have Nicky Butt, worth the least out of all his former teammates. His playing days at United and Newcastle have been followed up with him becoming Salford’s CEO in October 2022. Despite that, his net worth only rises to £15 million, just 4% of what Beckham is worth today.

Adding the quintet's totals together takes them to a combined net worth of £125 million, not even half of Beckham’s net worth today. It only goes to show how successful Beckham has been both in and out of football since skyrocketing to stardom all those years ago.