Soccer superstar David Beckham has been tapped by Giorgio Armani to launch Emporio Underwear collection in the U.S.
Beckham has signed a three-year royalty-based $40 million deal to be the global face the brand’s Emporio underwear collection. The contract gives the 32-year-old Los Angeles Galaxy player an annual fee plus royalties and is unprecedented for any sportsman.
This will be the second time Beckham working with Armani. In 2002, Armani outfitted the entire English football team, and Beckham was a top member. The “Emporio SS08″ underwear campaign range has come after the former England captain’s contracts with Vodafone and Gillette came to an end this year.
“David has a long-standing friendship with Giorgio Armani and he was excited at the chance of linking up with him on a permanent basis,” a source told PEOPLE. “Not only does he get a set fee but he shares in future royalties.
“The personal relationship was definitely instrumental in this deal. David and Giorgio get on very well so it was very much Giorgio’s personal choice. But Armani also see this as a sound business decision - few individuals have a truly global reach that can match David’s.”
The ad campaign, scheduled to break out in fashion magazines worldwide in January, was being shot late last week in Los Angeles with Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.
Meanwhile, Beckham will continue with his running contracts with Adidas, Pepsi, Motorola and perfume maker Coty.
Fans may recall that Beckham left Real Madrid in July to join LA Galaxy in a $260m, five-year contract.
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