These are not just any undies; they are Giorgio Armani undies. This is not just any body (obviously); it is David Beckham’s body. It’s hard to recall a more apt “brand union”. That the world’s most successful fashion designer has turned his hand to pants is not news (he’s been creating them in one form or another for more than 20 years), but the fact that he has designed this range with one of the world’s greatest sporting icons in mind, is. “I design with the body of a classical athlete in my head,” says Giorgio Armani. “David recalls the classical ideal – he brings to mind the beautiful Michelangelo statue in Florence.” That’s not all these pictures suggest. He might be thirtysomething, and he might not have started the last England match, but as these candid shots illustrate, David Beckham still has “it”.

For a much-photographed icon, Beckham says he was surprisingly nervous about the shoot. “I’ve not done many pictures that reveal quite so much,” he says. “But I think the pictures will speak for themselves.” They do. And Armani is thrilled with the results. “David is one of the very few iconic sports people who is as well known for his style off the field as he is for his talent on the field,” he says, admitting that he tapped Beckham, in a rumoured two-year deal, not just for his sex appeal but also for his image as a husband and father. “For me, David represents a notion of modern masculinity: strong, fit, healthy, but also sensitive and considerate.” “I’m a big fan of Armani style,” says Beckham. “Over the years my wife and I have become friends with him, so I’m happy to be working with him now.” Gosh. Has the commercial world ever known such a “love-in”?

It’s a given that he can sell drinks, sports kit, hair products and phones, but the question is, can David Beckham shift pants? “He’s the perfect package,” says creative director Robin Harvey, of Leo Burnett’s Atelier, who worked with Beckham on his first fragrance campaign. “This is lust by association. Here is a guy, adored by millions of women all over the planet. Why wouldn’t you want to buy the same pants as him?” Why indeed. “The typical Armani underwear buyer is a man who is as confident in himself as he is in his appearance,” says Armani, who adds, by way of an afterthought, “I’m a briefs man myself.”