THANKS BECKHAM HANGING up his boots

How does the richest football player in the world get richer?  By retiring.

David
Beckham yesterday announced he was hanging up his boots for good and
giving that famous right foot a well-deserved rest because he wanted to
‘go out on the top’.

That
may mean no more balls being curled into the back of the net in his
trademark style, but the former England captain can console himself with
the thought that his earnings are set to soar.

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Emotional: David Beckham said in an interview that he thinks the time is right to retire from football

End of an era: His voice cracking, Beckham said 'I love the game so much - I just feel it is the right time to go'

Curtain call: David Beckham, pictured at the
Paris Saint Germain training ground, announced he is retiring from
football after a 21-year career

The east London-raised star and his
wife Victoria are set to become worth at least £300million with
marketing experts predicting his ‘unique’ appeal will last for the next
20 years.

It will mean an ever-upwards
trajectory for ‘Brand Beckham’ now that the 38-year-old can concentrate
solely on his commercial career.

The Beckhams are already one of the
richest celebrity couples in the country with a combined fortune
estimated to be worth £190million.

David’s football earnings had become
such a small part of his total income that he was able to give his
estimated £3million salary from new club Paris St Germain to charity.

The couple are now set to base
themselves in London after their four children – Brooklyn, 14, Romeo,
ten, Cruz, eight, and 21-month-old Harper – settled in the capital.

Bumper retirement: Marketing experts believe
David and Victoria, pictured at the royal wedding in 2011, will become
worth more than £300million

Farewell: David Beckham waves to a crowd in
China during an appearance as an ambassador last month. He is likely to
perform similar roles in the future

Happy family: Beckham and his wife Victoria,
pictured with their four children Romeo, Cruz, Harper and Brooklyn at
Los Angles airport last July

Famous moment: Beckham celebrates scoring a last
minute equaliser against Greece at Old Trafford in October 2001 as
England qualified for the World Cup in dramatic circumstances

Family man: Beckham will now have more time to spend with his wife Victoria and his four children

Family man: Beckham at the airport earlier this year with his four children Romeo, Cruz, Harper and Brooklyn and wife Victoria

Retired: Beckham, pictured with his sons
Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz at a recent Paris Saint Germain home game will
retire at the end of the season

Retirement: David Beckham, pictured shopping with his wife Victoria earlier this month in Paris, is retiring from football

Victoria Beckham, 39, last night
described her husband as an  ‘inspiration’ and a ‘true ambassador for
sport’. ‘We are all excited about the next chapter in our lives and the
adventures we will explore as a family,’ she said.

However her husband appeared to have regrets that people focused more on his activities away from football.

He told former best man and
Manchester United teammate Gary Neville in an emotional interview
yesterday: ‘Over the years  people have obviously looked at other things
that have gone on in my career and sometimes that’s overshadowed what
I’ve done on the pitch.

‘As much as I say that doesn’t hurt me, of course it does.

‘At the end of the day I’m a
footballer who has played for some of the biggest clubs in the world,
with some of the best players in the world, and under some of the
biggest and best managers, and achieved almost everything in  football.
It hurts when people –  not question it – but think about other things.’