David Beckham is one of the richest footballers of all time - and he's got plenty to show for it.
The former England player, 49, lives a reality that is beyond many people's wildest dreams. With an eye-watering global property portfolio and an impressive business empire, Beckham certainly knows how to splash his cash. But according to investigative author Tom Bower, he is clued up on how to save it too.
In the writer's explosive new book, The House of Beckham: Money, Sex and Power, he claims the "money-obsessed" footballer routinely sought advice to legally minimise paying UK tax during the peak of his career. Upon his famous move to Real Madrid in 2003, Bower alleges he found opportunities to "avoid taxes".
The author claims: "Legally avoiding British taxes appealed to Beckham. As a non-dom in Spain, he was not paying British taxes on income earned outside Britain. And he was not paying National Insurance. The genius of it was that no one in Britain realised that Beckham had become a tax exile. Instead, the public believed that he was a global success who paid his taxes in Britain."
A spokeswoman for Beckham told Bower that he was at the time taxed fully on all his income earned in Spain and his income earned elsewhere in the relevant jurisdictions. A source added that the Beckhams' "tax affairs are of course fully in order and have been duly filed, audited and approved by HMRC."
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Here, the Mirror takes a look at David's luxurious lifestyle, including his four beautiful properties and garage filled with James Bond-esque cars...
Making the Rich List
The House of Beckham book looks into the footballer's finances (INTERNET URL)
The iconic couple have built a lucrative empire between them (PA)According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2024, which orders the 350 wealthiest Brits, David and wife Victoria Beckham are currently ranked 297th position on the list, up from 320th. Over the past year, the power couple managed to grow their already humongous fortune by another £30million, to a staggering £455m.
The publication details a number of reasons why the Beckhams' fortune has boomed, including the value of Inter Miami - a team part-owned by David - soaring to $1 billion following the coveted signing of the legendary Lionel Messi, according to Forbes.
Business-minded David also has a stake in global sport and entertainment company, Authentic Brands, which owns a number of household fashion brands including Reebok and Juicy Couture, as well as the rights to the name, image and estate rights for icons such as Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe.
Dream properties
The Beckhams are primarily based on London's 'Millionaire's Row' (SplashNews.com)Nowadays, the celeb couple are based in London, in a gorgeous London townhouse located in the super-swish Holland Park area of Kensington - aka 'Millionaire's Row'. Worth a breathtaking £31.5 million, the exquisite six-bedroom Victorian property boasts an indoor pool, wine cellar, fashion runway, and an at-home nail salon, according to Architectural Digest.
When wanting a taste of country life, the Beckhams head up to sweeping £12 million Cotswolds estate, which, of course, includes a football pitch in their back garden. Hello! magazine reports that the idyllic estate also includes a £50,000 safari tent for entertaining guests, plus a fairytale-esque miniature home for daughter Harper, worth £100,000.
When across the pond, David and Victoria, who previously lived in Beverley Hills during David's stint with LA Galaxy, can also stay at their stunning Miami penthouse apartment, designed by renowned architect Zaha Hadid. An ideal base for when the Inter Miami football team owner David has business in the US, the opulent property includes a rooftop helipad, private beach club, and on-premise bank vaults according to Marie Claire.
The couple also own a stunning £4 million apartment in Dubai's famous Burj Khalifa skyscraper - the tallest structure on Earth.
Luxury car collection
David has always had a love of flash cars - and has plenty of them (Handout)Perhaps unsurprisingly for somebody married to Posh Spice, David appears to enjoy the finer things and lives a lavish lifestyle. And the former Manchester United player is particularly known for having extravagant tastes when it comes to cars, with his jaw-dropping collection including a custom Maserati GranTurismo, worth £159,000.
In the last couple of years, David has treated himself to not one but two Rolls-Royces - a Ghost and a Drophead Coupe - both of which cost more than £250,000 brand new. With a fondness for British cars, David's impressive garage also holds a £149,000 V8 Aston, a Mulsane, and a Continental GT from Bentley.
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Bid for knighthood
Sir Rod Stewart recently took a cheeky swipe at David over his dashed knighthood hopes (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)Despite waiting 13 hours in line to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II back in 2022, David failed to catch the eye of King Charles in the 2024 honours list. David was cleared of any wrongdoing after being implicated in the Ingenious tax avoidance scheme in 2013, and made it back onto the official recommendations list for 2022.
However, leaked emails from 2017 which show David's fury with the honours committee, may still be dashing his hopes of becoming 'Sir David'. In these heated emails, the snubbed football star was alleged to have branded the honours committee 'unappreciative c***s'.
The footballer is also alleged to have written: "I expected nothing less. It's a disgrace to be honest and if I was American I would of got something like this 10 years ago."
Another message appeared to take aim at singer Katherine Jenkins for her OBE. "For what?" Beckham is alleged to have asked. "Singing at the rugby and going to see the troops..." Beckham's team have claimed some of the messages were "doctored" by hackers.
During a recent event at Buckingham Palace this week, Sir Rod Stewart couldn't help but tease David over his lack of title, right in front of the King himself. During a cheeky speech, Sir Rod, who was given a knighthood back in 2016, quipped: "Penny and I are so honoured to be ambassadors for the King's trust. I'm also wonderfully honoured to be a knight. David, yours is coming soon."
David was recently named as an ambassador for the King's Foundation after he and Charles bonded over a love of homegrown honey. Could this shared interest finally help him bag that much-longed-for Knighthood?
The House of Beckham by Tom Bower is released on June 20 and is available to buy from Amazon.
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