Accounts for Beckham’s Footwork Productions show the enduring global appeal of the English soccer legend helped him earn enough from endorsing products like Pepsi to fund a generous increase in the amounts he paid himself in the year to December.
They suggest that brand Becks managed to retain value last year despite the issues associated with a chequered spell at Los Angeles Galaxy in the US Major League.
Beckham joined Galaxy in 2007 on a multi-million dollar contract, which also offered him the opportunity to raise his profile among American consumers.
However, the move across the Atlantic involved a step down in footballing terms for Beckham, who admitted to frustrations in the US.
He was reported to have been so unhappy that he paid part of the fee that Italian giants AC Milan forked out to sign him on loan.
The move made Beckham enemies in the US and he was jeered by fans at a match in Los Angeles in July following his return from Milan. A team-mate, Landon Donovan, accused him of not caring about the club.
He will leave LA Galaxy in January for a second spell at AC Milan, which may boost his chances of making England manager Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad.
Abbreviated accounts filed at Companies House show Footwork Productions increased gross profits to £12m from £10.4m in the previous year. The company’s earnings included £2m under a deal with Pepsi, which is not being renewed.
The highest paid director, assumed to be 34-year-old Beckham, received wages and salaries totalling £10m compared with £5.2m in the preceding year.
The company also paid £800,000 dividends to Beckham, who did not receive any in the previous year.
The total, £10.8m, is a 106% increase on the £5.21m he paid himself the year before.
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