Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain “expect to cash in” on signing MF David Beckham “by selling 150,000 replica kits bearing the former England captain's name before the end of the season,” according to Alex Miller of the London DAILY MAIL. Beckham has "raised a staggering” $1.6B (all figures U.S.) in shirt and shoe sales in his career, with $23.5M worth “expected from his five-month stint in the French capital alone.” Despite retailing for $149, sales of Beckham's No. 32 jersey "have reached 'thousands' in the week” since Beckham announced he was signing with the club on Jan. 31. A “large number of sales are expected to come from the UK, France, the US and Qatar, while the midfielder will earn a percentage of sales in image rights payments.” adidas officials “estimate a staggering 10 million replica Beckham shirts have been sold during his 20-year playing career,” worth $1.5B at today's prices. About five million of those shirts “were sold by” EPL club Manchester United and La Liga club Real Madrid. MLS Commissioner Don Garber said that Beckham “sold 300,000 shirts a year during his five-and-a-half years” with the Galaxy (London DAILY MAIL, 2/10).
