THE RICHEST footballer in the world by a mile, David Beckham will easily pass £100m of wealth in the forthcoming Sunday Times Rich List. Reports of his new five-year contract have entered the realms of hyperbole by treating his potential earnings as guaranteed income, but he stands to make huge amounts in the US.

Only £5.1m of his estimated £25.6m annual earnings will come in a straightforward salary from his new club, Los Angeles Galaxy. The rest will involve sponsorship deals, merchandising, a cut of the turnstile revenue and, it is suggested, an equity stake in the club. In many ways the deal looks like a sporting version of what many a star trader or banker in the City gets — a “small” salary in relation to the bonuses achieved for maximising profits.

Beckham’s bonuses will come if his image can translate into more sponsorship deals and a lift in attendance.

The structure of the deal, those involved and Beckham’s unique image may just make those bonuses real. His main adviser is Simon Fuller, the man behind the Spice Girls and, more importantly, the Pop Idol phenomenon that has generated £1.25 billion of revenue worldwide. Fuller’s intimate knowledge of the American sponsorship market will reel in scores of high-paying blue chip companies keen to cash in on Brand Beckham.

Philip Anschutz, the boss of AEG, LA Galaxy’s owner (and the man who has bought the Millennium Dome) is keen to make more of his soccer franchise and will do all he can as America’s 31st-richest man with his near £4 billion fortune to raise the sport’s profile in America. In Beckham, a friend of Hollywood A-list stars such as Tom Cruise and a man at obvious ease in the limelight, Anschutz has found the perfect televisual ambassador.

On the footballing side, LA Galaxy are the best-supported of the teams in Major League Soccer (MLS), with regular crowds of 22,000-24,000 at the 27,000-capacity Home Depot Center. Crucially, they were the first MLS team to turn a profit and make about $10m to $20m annually. The large Latino population in Los Angeles — raised on football — is an obvious target for Beckham mania.

Last autumn the MLS achieved an important breakthrough when it signed a television rights deals with several networks — including ESPN, Univision and Fox Soccer Channel — that will pay about $20m a year. This is the first time it will be paid for its games. Beckham’s presence can only enhance the appeal of football to America’s armchair fans. Within hours of his move being announced, 1,000 fans snapped up season tickets and the club sold more than 100 premium seats.

Two “global brands” are also in discussion to sponsor the club’s jersey.

Beckham’s sponsors will not be fazed by a move that takes him from the top of world football to the capital of world entertainment. Take razor-maker Gillette. Its first reaction was to say that it was “going to be taking a look at our future marketing opportunities” for using Beckham more in the US. Pepsi and adidas will also find his exposure in the US wholly beneficial to sales.

Whether Becks can sustain his appeal into his mid-to-latish 30s in a fast-moving, youth-orientated culture is the big question. His move to Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2003 did not hurt his brand appeal. Indeed, 75% of his near £20m-a-year income in recent years has come from sponsorship and endorsement. He is clearly used to the risk of living on his name rather than the wages of football.

Philip Beresford is the compiler of The Sunday Times Rich List

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