Former English footballer David Beckham has become a global ambassador for AliExpress, the online sales platform owned by the Chinese technology group Alibaba.
The deal comes in the run-up to the Euro 2024 football tournament, which begins in June, and is Beckham’s latest partnership, following partnerships with suit maker Hugo Boss and fryer maker SharkNinja in recent weeks. He is also an ambassador for Tudor watches, Tempur mattresses, UNICEF and Nespresso coffee machines, and fronts an advert for Walkers crisps.
AliExpress is a sponsor of Euro 2024, which will be part of a big sporting summer, including the Paris Olympic Games.
Beckham, who became a global style figure after rising to fame playing for Manchester United, Real Madrid and England, is believed to have made £200million by selling 55% of the business servicing his brand to US group Genuine Manufacturers in 2022.
Reports from the partnership’s first year show Beckham’s income more than doubled from £34m to £72.6m, although pre-tax profits fell by £23.6m sterling to £10.8 million, mainly due to increased administrative costs.
Beckham and his wife Victoria, who has her own fashion brand and cosmetics business, have made millions through brand deals, with the former Spice Woman joining Spanish brand Mango in recent months.
According to the Sunday Times Rich List, the couple live mainly in a £30million white stucco townhouse in west London and own the superyacht Seven. Their combined fortune stands at £455million, £30million more than a year earlier.
In March, AliExpress signed a deal to become the exclusive e-commerce platform partner of European football governing body UEFA, which oversees Euro 2024.
The tournament taking place in Germany is also sponsored by other Chinese groups, including: electric vehicle manufacturer BYD and electronics company Vivo.
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Beckham’s work as an ambassador for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, for which he reportedly received £10 million, has attracted criticism. His company has benefited from a trading relationship with Qatar, where question marks have been raised over its human rights record, including its treatment of women and the LGBTQ+ community.
Beckham said at the time that he believed sport could be a “force for good” and that the World Cup had stimulated debate on the subject.
