Beckham scores Euros deal with China tech giant
David Beckham has signed an agreement to serve as a global ambassador for AliExpress, an online retail platform owned by Chinese technology conglomerate Alibaba. The announcement coincides with the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024 football tournament, set to start in Germany next month. The financial details of Beckham’s deal were not disclosed by the company.
In March, AliExpress secured an exclusive e-commerce partnership with UEFA, the governing body of European football. As part of this collaboration, Beckham will headline AliExpress’ Score More promotion during the tournament. “AliExpress is helping fans get even closer to UEFA EURO 2024 this summer by offering them great prizes as the action takes place on the pitch,” Beckham said.
AliExpress joins other prominent Chinese companies, such as electric vehicle manufacturer BYD and electronics giant Vivo, in sponsoring the Euros.
Since retiring from professional football over a decade ago, Beckham has partnered with numerous brands and major sporting events. According to the Sunday Times Rich List, Beckham and his wife Victoria, a former Spice Girl and fashion designer, have an estimated combined fortune of £455 million ($581.6 million).
The UEFA Euro 2024 is expected to be one of the year’s largest sporting events, with 2.7 million tickets available for matches across 10 cities in Germany, including Munich and Hamburg. UEFA reported that the 2020 Euros reached a global live television audience of 5.2 billion, with the final watched by 328 million people.