Former England footballer David Beckham has been appointed as a global ambassador for AliExpress, an online retail platform owned by the Chinese tech giant Alibaba.
This partnership comes ahead of the Euro 2024 football tournament, starting in June, and adds to Beckham’s recent collaborations, which include deals with Hugo Boss and SharkNinja. He also serves as an ambassador for Tudor watches, Tempur mattresses, Unicef, and Nespresso coffee machines, and stars in advertisements for Walkers crisps.
AliExpress is a sponsor of Euro 2024, part of a major summer of sport that also features the Paris Olympics.
Beckham, who gained international fame with Manchester United, Real Madrid, and the England national team, reportedly earned £200 million from selling 55% of his brand management business to Authentic Brands in 2022.
The first year of this partnership saw brand Beckham’s revenue more than double from £34 million to £72.6 million, although pre-tax profits decreased from £23.6 million to £10.8 million, primarily due to higher administrative costs.
Beckham and his wife, Victoria, who owns a fashion label and beauty business, have secured numerous lucrative brand deals. Victoria recently partnered with the Spanish high street brand Mango. The couple, who mostly reside in a £30 million townhouse in West London and own a superyacht named Seven, have a combined net worth of £455 million, an increase of £30 million from the previous year, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
In March, AliExpress became the exclusive e-commerce platform partner of UEFA, the governing body of European football, which oversees Euro 2024. The tournament, held in Germany, also has sponsorships from other Chinese companies, including electric vehicle manufacturer BYD and electronics firm Vivo.
Beckham’s role as an ambassador for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, reportedly earning him £10 million, drew criticism due to Qatar’s human rights record, particularly concerning women and the LGBTQ+ community. Beckham defended his involvement, stating that he believed sport could be a “force for good” and that the World Cup had sparked important discussions on these issues.
