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When David Beckham visited the Amazon in 2016
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he said it was one of the only places in the world he hadn't been recognized.
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And that's pretty unusual for someone who gets this type of reception almost everywhere he goes.
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To play soccer, like David Beckham.
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This is the story of how David Beckham became one of the most recognizable brands in the world.
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Even though he retired from soccer five years ago, David Beckham's image is still as powerful as ever.
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The Beckhams have an estimated net worth of $450 million,
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but more than that they have an influence most brands dream of.
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I don't think we could understate how many times we've seen David Beckham's image
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and how much, by sheer repetition, it's been printed on our minds.
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Robert Williams is Bloomberg's luxury and retail reporter based in Paris.
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From airport billboards to TV commercials to glossy magazine ads,
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it's just an effect of recognisability that's been built up over the years.
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People assume that I've got so many brands, but I actually haven't.
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We've got quite a few.
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Those few make up a wide base of products and partnerships
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including whisky, watches, charities and more.
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The other thing to say about Brand Beckham is that it is very much a phenomenon of its time.
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Andy Milligan is a brand consultant who wrote the book on Brand Beckham.
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Celebrities can become brands in a very potent way, sometimes in a more meaningful and relevant way than traditional products
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because at the heart of a personality brand
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there is a human story which is constantly fascinating and evolving.
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And Beckham isn't just selling himself, his whole family is part of the story.
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Victoria Beckham has created a critically acclaimed luxury fashion label.
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In 2017 she received a $40 million investment from a former Goldman Sachs banker,
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valuing the business at around $130 million.
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Victoria set the pace for this couple and really positioning herself as an entrepreneur
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and not just as a model or someone who does endorsements.
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The Beckham children are part of the brand too.
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As well as modelling contracts and book deals, each child's name is trademarked
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which means only the Beckhams can use their names on products.
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All of this is a contrast to David Beckham's own modest childhood growing up in east London.
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Though never compared to the likes of Pelé or Maradona,
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it was Beckham's drive which made him stand out early on.
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He went and got for himself one of the most prestigious sports marketing companies,
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whose clients in those days included people like Alan Shearer and Michael Owen, very high profile footballers.
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He got them at an early stage in his life and I think that was the first sign of intent.
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And like all good success stories, timing was key.
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Beckham made his league debut for Manchester United when he was 19.
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Just a few years earlier the establishment of the English Premier League
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had created a significant increase in viewership both at home and abroad.
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He just happened to be the right man at the right time.
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If he'd been in football even 10 years earlier, I'm sure he would have been successful
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but he wouldn't have had nowhere near the opportunities to make such an impact as he did during the '90s.
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Beckham quickly realized he could create value with his image.
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In 2002 when asked why contract negotiations were taking so long, he put it down to one thing - image rights -
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payments made by the club for the right to use anything related to the Beckham brand -
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his name, face, even the way he kicked a ball.
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While he wasn't the first footballer to receive such payments, the earnings were significant
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and alongside his endorsements made him the world's highest paid soccer player.
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Photographer: David just to your left.
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This was all part of what Andy calls the "earn till you burn" model.
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Trying to bank as much money as possible before retirement.
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His first deal with hairstyling brand Brylcreem was worth £1 million
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and created a 50% surge in sales.
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Photographer: Sit up straight, David.
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[Laughs]
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This was followed by deals with more global brands like Pepsi, Adidas and Gillette.
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Unlike other footballers, he also extended his image beyond the pitch too -
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including a £20 million deal with Armani in 2007 which attracted a great deal of attention.
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It is a rare man who can be that tough on the field and also have his own line of underwear.
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[Laughs]
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He took a big risk early in his career by showing his interest in fashion,
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his willingness to be a bit daring with his look at a time
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when that wasn't necessarily attached to masculine role models.
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It's not something that athletes were willing to risk their image on before.
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It's come down to three consistent things through which the Beckham brand is delivered.
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It's football, it's fashion, and I'd call it, it's feel good
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but he takes risks inside those.
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The risks seems to have paid off.
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A couple of years after his retirement, Beckham earned £45 million.
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That was more than 13 times as much as he was paid in his last year as a footballer
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and more than any former athlete in the world apart from Michael Jordan.
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But football is still the focus.
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It's been confirmed that David Beckham is to start a soccer franchise in Miami.
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During his move to LA Galaxy in 2007, his contract included
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the option for him to buy a Major League Soccer team for $25 million at the end of his career.
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A smart deal sweetener now that expansion teams cost six times that.
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Today you made my dream come true.
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And all of this secures Beckham's brand exposure in soccer and the US for the foreseeable future.
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There's a legacy being built there that will survive David Beckham,
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and actually that is the ultimate testament to the way he's thinking,
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and indeed, to the way that really good brands and brand owners think.
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Proof perhaps that this is a brand that relies on more than just a pretty face.
