David Beckham Made Hundreds of Millions of Dollars From Deal

Published on October 8th, 2022 3:16 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


In early 2007, David Beckham shocked the football world after leaving Real Madrid to sign a 5-year deal with the LA Galaxy of the MLS.

Eyebrows were collectively raised across the globe as people tried to contemplate the 5-year, $250 million deal that Beckham signed.

How could a fledgling league afford to dish out such a deal?

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The contract was set out in such a way so that both sides could greatly benefit.

It was a genius piece of negotiations for all of the parties involved - Beckham, the LA Galaxy, and the MLS.

The deal saw Beckham receive a base salary of $6.5 million per year, which was well off of the money that he was receiving at Real Madrid.

Beckham received a percentage of the LA Galaxy's revenues as part of the deal as well - merchandising, sponsorships, tickets - Beckham got a cut of it all.

In addition, Beckham was able to penetrate the North American market and was able to sign a number of lucrative sponsorships of his own.

In total, David Beckham made more than $250 million over the life of the 5-year deal, making him the highest-paid footballer in the world.

Beckham's signing obviously made a massive impact on the MLS - ticket sales shot through the roof, sponsorship deals were signed and merchandising sales increased dramatically.

This was THE moment for the MLS, and it immediately put the league on the map. A number of other big-name players, including Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, would eventually make their ways to the MLS as well.

Without the David Beckham signing, there is a very good chance that the MLS wouldn't have made it.

David Beckham benefitted from the signing, the LA Galaxy benefitted from the signing, and the MLS ESPECIALLY benefitted from the signing.

It was truly a win/win/win deal for all of the parties involved.

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Let's not forget about the BEST part of the deal for David Beckham. Let's not forget about the savviest piece of negotiating that his team was able to do.

As part of the deal, Beckham was guaranteed the right to pay just $25 million for an expansion team at ANY time in the future.

Beckham eventually pulled the trigger in 2014, when he confirmed that he would be forming a new franchise in Miami.

At the time, MLS expansion fees were around $150 million - now, they are well in excess of $300 million.

By taking on other partners, Beckham was able to parlay his exceptional bit of negotiating prowess into another massive payday.

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David Beckham's 2007 contract with the LA Galaxy was truly a work of art.