David Beckham
David Beckham: Goodbye to active football.38-year old International footballer - David Beckham has confirmed his retirement from football.
Despite the offer of an extended one-year deal at Paris Saint-German (PSG), Beckham bowed out on a high after helping Carlo Ancelotti's side win the French title for the first time in 19 years.
Beckham said: 'I'm thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level.'
'If you had told me as a young boy I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over one hundred times and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy. I'm fortunate to have realised those dreams.'
Beckham was born in Leytonstone and started out with Ridgeway Rovers before being singled out by Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton at a Soccer School in Barcelona.
At 14, he signed schoolboy terms at Old Trafford and joined the likes of Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt in United's famous youth class of 1992, going on to make his first-team debut against Brighton in the League Cup that same year.
Beckham captained England, collecting 115 caps, and celebrated as a champion in four different countries - the only British footballer in history to do so.
Beckham who played for some of the biggest clubs in the world such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, as well as Los Angeles Galaxy - is now set to continue his ambassadorial duties with a variety of organisations, which include Sky Sports, Adidas, UNICEF and promoting football in China.
Having relocated from Los Angeles in January, Beckham is expected to set up a permanent base in London with his wife Victoria and children, Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper.
His vast fortune of an estimated £165million comfortably makes him the richest athlete ever in British sport, with a host of lucrative sponsorship deals and salary payments over the last decade amassing his wealth.