The reason David Beckham is so comfortable at not earning a single penny from his current spell at Paris Saint-Germain — not from salary, image rights or merchandise money — will be clear when the companies he owns publish their financial accounts.
Inside Sport can reveal the former England captain made more cash in 2012 than in any single year of his extraordinary career, with tens of millions pouring in not only from a string of lucrative endorsements but also from high-profile commercial ambassadorial roles linked to the London Olympics.
When Beckham signed up to his five-month spell at PSG, it was announced his salary of more than £100,000 a week would be donated to a local children’s charity.
But there is a widespread misconception that ‘Goldenballs’ is earning huge sums from PSG image rights and from umpteen thousand shirts sold with his name on, at nearly £100 a time.
‘Actually, he won’t be getting anything whatsoever,’ a source said. ‘All his playing salary is going to charity and he’ll get nothing from merchandise, shirts, sponsorship or any club income. Nothing.’
PSG are paying for Beckham’s £14,000-a-night VIP suite at Le Bristol hotel in Paris, but otherwise he is motivated by two factors: first and foremost, wanting to continue playing at a high level, age 37; secondly, remaining an ‘active’ athlete, which helps make him more marketable overall.
When his two main British-based firms, Footwork Productions and Beckham Ventures (VB), file their accounts later this year, both will show eight-figure profits.
Footwork earned £15.2million in the year to December 2011 and paid Beckham personally £13.3m. Income for 2012 will balloon thanks to cash from adidas, H&M, Breitling watches, a one-off Burger King smoothies campaign, plus big money from Samsung and Sainsbury’s for promoting their Olympic and Paralympic campaigns.
Defeat: Beckham's PSG lost 1-0 to Reims in a Ligue 1 match on Saturday
VB income includes money from clothing, fragrance and other projects undertaken inside the Beckham brand, which also features work by his wife, Victoria.
Beckham’s third income stream, aside from Footwork and VB, is his playing salary: $4m basic pay with LA Galaxy in 2012 and more than that, but all to charity with PSG.
No problems: Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone Bernie thumbs-up for SilverstoneAn 11th-hour reprieve on Friday for this summer’s Superbike event at Silverstone, the beleaguered spiritual home of British motor sport, highlighted the financial struggles at the Northamptonshire circuit — but F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone insists the British Grand Prix is not under threat.
Sources say that on Wednesday night, the Spanish-based owners of the Superbike World Championship, Dorna, were resigned to the August race at Silverstone not going ahead amid fears it would be a loss-making event for the circuit, which was encumbered by £23.5million debt in its most recently published accounts.
Yet, by Friday, it was confirmed that the race will start as planned, although a Silverstone spokesman said: ‘Discussions are ongoing between Silverstone and Dorna regarding the future of the event at the circuit (after this year).’
Busy: The Silverstone Superbike event will go ahead in 2013 along with the MotoGP and F1 racesCITY'S AMBITION
Manchester City’s ambition to match city rivals United in income could yet lead to a hugely lucrative new shirt sponsorship deal in the next few years, with current sponsors Etihad set to make way if a new backer can be found.
It is understood that City’s CEO, Ferran Soriano, who was overlord at Barcelona as they became financial giants, has set City’s new-look commercial team, led by American Tom Glick, a target of 200million euros income per year (£173m) through sponsorship by 2015.
United have agreed a seven-year deal with Chevrolet worth $559m (£372m) to run from 2014.
Silverstone also hosts the Dorna-owned MotoGP, still scheduled for later this year, and the British F1 GP.
Silverstone, which is ultimately owned by the British Racing Drivers’ Club, pay Ecclestone’s company an annual fee — approaching £14m in 2013 — to stage the race and then try to make profits from ticket sales.
‘Silverstone has an arrangement of making payments and there have been no problems with that at all,’ Ecclestone (left) tells me. ‘As far as I’m concerned, the British Grand Prix is causing me no concern.’
BT hang up on GeorgieBT Sport, the new TV channel owned by the telecoms giant that has won rights to screen live Premier League games from this summer, will not be offering posts to former Sky pundit Andy Gray and current Sky presenter Georgie Thompson, sources say.
The rumour mill has gone into overdrive that Gray could make a return to mainstream TV via BT for the first time since the Sian Massey sexism row and that pin-up Thompson could be moving, too.
Thompson has just made an unexplained exit from Sky’s F1 coverage, but a BT source says: ‘Neither are heading our way.’
Exit: Georgie Thompson (second from right) recently left Sky Sports' F1 teamMore... Second-half sub Beckham can't save PSG as Ligue 1 leaders crash to shock defeat Real Madrid 2 Barcelona 1: Ronaldo and co warm up for United showdown with second Clasico victory in five days
