Would a David Beckham Testimonial Really Make a Billion Pounds for Charity?

David Beckham is apparently planning quite the goodbye party: Manchester United vs LA Galaxy, with maybe £1 billion in profits going to charity. How do we know this? English tabloid The Daily Star quoted a “source close to Beckham” (Posh? Brooklyn?) as saying:

“This game between United and Galaxy has been on the cards for a while. It would be fantastic for him to play at Old Trafford again to applaud the fans who supported him there for so many years. But he wouldn’t just look at this as a chance for him to remember past glories. With the charity potential it would be great to exploit the match so he can raise lots of money for charity. That’s just the way he is. The idea is to make up to a billion pounds for charity.”

(Beckham’s LA Galaxy boss Bruce Arena was also quoted in the story, but his quote was more about “how fabulous that would be”.)

Beckham’s contract expires in 2011, at which point he’ll more than likely hang up his bending boots. So the summer of 2011 (before the end of the MLS season, but primetime for showcase friendlies) would be the perfect time. But could any charity match, even one starring David Beckham, really raise £1 billion?

My initial reaction was “no way”. Testimonial games – though an excellent idea – are still something of a novelty item. They’re not the sort of serious big time football matches that bring in the serious big time money. But then I remembered this was David Beckham we’re talking about.

Though Beckham’s footballing star has waned a little in recent years, he’s still a celebrity of supernova proportions. So while it’s very very easy for football fans to be cynical about Beckham and his fame, there are just as many David Beckham fans who don’t care how Goldenballs performs on the field. They just want to know what kind of sunglasses he’s wearing. He’s arguably the first proper mainstream football celebrity, and as such he’s changed the face of football forever. (For better or worse.)

So when football finally says goodbye to Beckham, it’s going to be a big deal. Maybe a billion pound deal. And if you doubt the potential of Beckham’s retirement game to make that much money, then ask yourself this: Will you watch it? Because I know I will.

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Category: World Football