David Beckham, whose net worth soared after leaving soccer, says he kept working to motivate his kids
David Beckham was already wealthier than most CEOs when he quit professional soccer in 2013.
Retirement could have been luxurious and easy. Instead, he said Tuesday, he persevered with more business ventures for his children.
During a Q&A on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Beckham said that his children inspire him to work hard.
“The reason I continue to work as hard as I do is for my children,” Beckham said.
“And I’m not talking about for their futures, but I want to set the right example. When I retired 12, 13 years ago now, from playing, I could have just sat back and enjoyed the moment. But when I grew up at Manchester United, I had one of the biggest and best business leaders inspire me and teach me, Sir Alex Ferguson.”
Ferguson was the legendary and long-serving manager of England’s Manchester United, the team where Beckham made his professional debut.
Beckham said the lesson he learned from Ferguson was, “Every time that we have some success, of course, we enjoy it, we celebrate it. But the next moment, we’re onto the next thing.”
When Beckham retired from soccer at 38, The Sunday Times named him the UK’s richest sports star with a net worth of 165 million ($202 million using current conversion rates).
