Will David Beckham Go Into Fashion Full-Time Now He’s Retired From Football?

Until yesterday, he was the most famous footballer on the planet, having announced his retirement from Paris Saint Germain, and breaking the hearts of his French fans. Now he’s footloose and fancy free, will the world of fashion be the global sporting hero’s next conquest?

He already works for H&M, Sky, Sainsbury’s and Adidas, and who could forget those pant-straining Emporio Armani underwear adverts? Those white briefs will remain seared onto our memories until the very end of time.

Beckham’s other current and past endorsements include Breitling, Electronic Arts, Diet Pepsi, Yahoo, Castrol, Marks & Spencer, Motorola and Police sunglasses, making him the world’s eighth-highest-paid athlete in 2012 – according to WWD.

Then there’s the matter of his fashion-designer wife (now, what was her name again?) surely she will have an opinion or two on the optimum size of turn-ups and the most polished width for a blazer's lapels, should he decide to put his name to a line of menswear.

‘David Beckham is a great sportsman and a great style icon, and to us that is how he will be looked upon also in the future,’ a spokesman for H&M told WWD, which collaborates with the golden one on a bodywear line. ‘We are very happy with the collaboration and look forward to launching the new collection this autumn.’