David Beckham career merchandise sales top $1.5 billion

At times, its hard to fathom the popularity of soccer superstar David Beckham. But, new numbers from the Daily Mail put everything into perspective. According to DM, Beckham has generated more than £1 billion ($1.5 billion dollars) in jersey and shoe sales throughout his career.

Beckham is expected to generate another $23 million dollars worth of sales during the next few months, as he plays with Paris Saint-Germain. Replica Beckham jerseys are currently selling for nearly $150 a piece…and are flying off the shelves.

Beckham, who will turn 38 this year, has generated over 10 million sales of his jersey since signing a lifetime sponsorship contract with Adidas back in 1997. Beckham also endorses Adidas’ Predator shoe, which also has sales in the millions.

The Beckham brand is almost unmatched in the sports world today, and it is the power of the Beckham brand, his play notwithstanding, that played into PSG’s decision to sign the star. The brand is so strong in fact, that PSG plans on selling nearly 150,000 Beckham replica jerseys before season’s end.

The power of the Beckham brand was even apparent in America, a country still not known for its love of soccer. It is estimated that nearly 300,000 Beckham shirts were sold during his five-and-a-half-year stint with the MLS’ LA Galaxy.