Who needs a salary?

In an article in The Sun on Tuesday, David Beckham was reported to have earned £19 million (28 million euros) in the past year from his 'sponsorship deals, personal appearances and business ventures'. In other words, this is additional income over and above the salary he receives for playing for Real Madrid.

But this is not the end of the Beckham money-making machine. He and his wife Victoria are partners in another company Brand Beckham which has the serialisation rights to his recent book, Making it real and other ventures in common, such as perfume.

Despite recent set-backs, such as the ending of his contract with Police sunglasses (reportedly worth £1.5 million a year), it is clear his earning potential outside the field of play is still considerable. Given the image rights revenue share deal he has with Real Madrid, it is clear to see why it is in the club's financial interests to keep him on for some time to come.