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David Beckham was already wealthier than most CEOs when he quit professional soccer in 2013.
Retirement could have been luxurious and easy. Instead, he persevered with more business ventures for his children, he said Tuesday.
During a Q&A on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Beckham said his children inspired him to work hard.
Mia Regan, Romeo Beckham, Cruz Beckham, Harper Beckham, David Beckham, Victoria Beckham, Brooklyn Beckham, and Nicola Peltz Beckham at the “Beckham” UK premiere. Karwai Tang/WireImage
“The reason I continue to work as hard as I do is for my children,” Beckham said.
“And I’m not talking about for their futures, but I want to set the right example. When I retired 12, 13 years ago now, from playing, I could have just sat back and enjoyed the moment. But when I grew up at Manchester United, I had one of the biggest and best business leaders inspire me and teach me, Sir Alex Ferguson.”
Ferguson was the legendary and long-serving manager of England’s Manchester United, the team in which Beckham made his professional debut.
Beckham said the lesson he learned from Ferguson was: “Every time that we have some success, of course, we enjoy it, we celebrate it. But the next moment, we’re onto the next thing.”
When Beckham retired from soccer at 38, The Sunday Times named him the UK’s richest sports star with a net worth of £165 million.
In the years that followed, Beckham expanded his wealth through brand deals. He also cofounded the Inter Miami soccer team, partnered with Netflix for a hit tell-all documentary, and worked for Qatar to promote its hosting of the World Cup.
Last year, The Sunday Times reported that Beckham and his wife, Victoria Beckham, were worth £455 million.
The Beckhams have four children: Brooklyn, 25, Romeo, 22, Cruz, 19, and Harper, 13.
The two eldest have yet to follow traditional career paths, though both had tried to follow in their father’s footsteps in soccer. Romeo made a professional debut in 2021, playing for his father’s team, but he retired in 2023 to pivot to modeling.
Brooklyn Beckham, who married Nicola Peltz Beckham in 2022, never went pro, but he has switched career paths over the years from modeling to photography to creating a short-lived cooking web series in 2022. Last year, Brooklyn Beckham launched a hot-sauce brand as his latest business venture.