David Beckham, set to make his debut for Ligue 1 Paris St. Germain next weekend, has "raised a staggering" £1B ($1.6B) in shirt and boot sales in his career, with £15M ($23.7M) worth expected from his five-month stint in the French capital alone, according to Alex Miller of the London DAILY MAIL. The French club expects "to cash in on the Beckham factor by selling 150,000 replica kits bearing the former England captain's name before the end of the season." Despite retailing for £95 ($150), sales of the "Beckham 32" shirts have reached "thousands" in the week since the former England captain announced he was signing for his new club. A large number of sales are expected to come from the U.K., France, the U.S. and Qatar, while the midfielder "will earn a percentage of sales in image rights payments." He has enjoyed a long-term relationship with adidas "worth millions and officials at the German kit supplier estimate a staggering 10 million replica Beckham shirts have been sold during his 20-year playing career," worth £950M ($1.5B) at today's prices. Beckham also "endorses the adidas Predator boot and has helped sell millions of pairs, taking his worth to kit suppliers" over £1B (DAILY MAIL, 2/9).
