David Beckham has announced he will retire from professional football at the end of the French season. The 38-year-old midfielder, whose hugely successful club career saw time with Manchester United, AC Milan and Real Madrid, is presently with Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain.
Beckham, whose trophy cabinet is stacked with silverware from England, Spain, America (with Los Angeles Galaxy) and now France, released this statement:
"I'm thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level. I want to thank all my teammates, the great managers that I had the pleasure of learning from. I also want to thank the fans who have all supported me and given me the strength to succeed."
The glamorous midfielder, who married style and football in such generous doses that he has always been and will probably always be the darling of global brands and the advertisement industry, is married to Victoria Beckham - a former musician with the Spice Girls and now a fashion designer.
Beckham and his wife, whose luxurious Hertfordshire mansion was dubbed Beckingham Palace, are parents to Brooklyn, Harper, Cruz and Romeo Beckham, was also named the richest sportsman in the UK recently, by the Sunday times Sports Rich List, is believed to have a personal fortune of £165m... and this despite donating his salary from PSG to charitable causes.
David Beckham and his family are now expected to base themselves in London.
Scroll down to take a look at the football legend's life through the years...
Paris Saint-Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Beckham celebrate at the end of their team's French Ligue 1 soccer match against Olympique Lyon at the Gerland stadium in Lyon May 12, 2013.ReutersA combination picture shows former England captain David Beckham slipping as he free kicks at a sports field during his visit in Wuhan, Hubei province, March 23, 2013.ReutersSoccer player David Beckham presents his new jersey after a news conference in Paris January 31, 2013.ReutersDavid Beckham walks out to the field with his sons Brooklyn (2nd L), Romeo (3rd R) and Cruz (R) along with teammates including Robbie Keane (L) of Ireland before the MLS Cup championship soccer game against Houston Dynamo in Carson, California, December 1, 2012.ReutersU.S. first lady Michelle Obama stands next to British footballer David Beckham during an event at the U.S. embassy in central London July 27, 2012.ReutersSoccer player and London 2012 Olympic Games ambassador David Beckham reacts after lighting the Olympic torch with a cauldron after arriving at RNAS Culdrose base near Helston in Cornwall, south west England May 18, 2012.ReutersDavid Beckham hoists the championship trophy as the team celebrate their victory over the Houston Dynamo during their MLS Cup soccer final match in Carson, California, November 20, 2011.ReutersDavid Beckham of Britain displays the names of his four children on his boot during their MLS soccer match against the San Jose Earthquakes in Carson, California August 20, 2011.ReutersDavid Beckham accepts the "Do Something Athlete" award during the "Do Something Awards" in Los Angeles, California August 14, 2011.ReutersDavid Beckham (C) is seen cocking a Heavy Machine Gun during a visit to Camp Bastion, in Afghanistan in this May 22, 2010 handout photograph.ReutersDavid Beckham bleeds from his cheek as he looks on during the Italian serie A soccer match against Chievo in Milan March 14, 2010.ReutersDavid Beckham celebrates at the end of the match against Juventus during their Serie A soccer match at Olympic stadium in Turin, January 10, 2010.ReutersDavid Beckham smiles after receiving his 100th cap before the team's international friendly soccer match against the U.S. at Wembley Stadium in London May 28, 2008.ReutersDavid Beckham plays with a boy in the children's department of Xinhua hospital during a visit by him and his team mates in Shanghai March 4, 2008.ReutersDavid Beckham smiles as he holds his new team jersey during an LA Galaxy news conference introducing him as the newest member of the MLS soccer league team in Carson, California, July 13, 2007.ReutersDavid Beckham (standing) reacts as his team misses a scoring chance while watching the team play their SuperLiga tournament friendly match against CF Pachuca from a private box in Carson, California July 24, 2007.ReutersDavid Beckham walks away with his sons, Cruz (L), Romeo and Brooklyn (R), after their Spanish First Division soccer match victory over Real Mallorca at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid June 17, 2007.ReutersDavid Beckham and his wife Victoria arrive for the Sport Industry Awards 2007 at Old Billingsgate in central London March 29, 2007.ReutersDavid Beckham gestures after their Spanish First Division soccer match against Deportivo Coruna at Coruna's Riazor stadium January 7, 2007.ReutersDavid Beckham (L) and assistant coach Steve McClaren celebrate after England defeated Trinidad and Tobago in their Group B World Cup 2006 soccer match in Nuremberg June 15, 2006.ReutersDavid Beckham acknowledges supporters as he walks off the pitch after the World Cup Finals group F match against Nigeria in Osaka June 12, 2002.ReutersDavid Beckham gets a kiss from his son Brooklyn after winning the premiership at Old Trafford in Manchester, May 5, 2001.ReutersDavid Beckham speaking to reporters with Manchester United's head coach Alex Ferguson during a news conference following their arrival in Tokyo November 27 1999.ReutersVictoria Adams, then a member of the British band The Spice Girls, poses for photographers with her fiancee, Manchester United footballer David Beckham January 25 1998. Beckham and Adams made their engagement public at a luxury hotel after media speculation over possible venues for their wedding.ReutersManchester United's David Beckham encourages the crowd to cheer after he scored the opening goal against Chelsea during their match at Stamford Bridge January 4 1998.Reuters
