• David Beckham told a Davos panel that he works hard to set an example for his children.
• He retired from soccer in 2013 with vast wealth — reported at the time to be £165 million ($202 million).
• He is now far wealthier, the owner of a football club with multiple brand deals.

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).

In the years that followed, Beckham expanded his wealth through brand deals. He also co-founded the Inter Miami soccer team, partnered with Netflix for a hit tell-all documentary, and worked for Qatar to promote its hosting of the World Cup.

In 2024, the Sunday Times reported that Beckham and his wife, Victoria Beckham, were worth £455 million.

The Beckhams have four children: Brooklyn Beckham, 25, Romeo Beckham, 22, Cruz, 19, and Harper, 13.

The two eldest have yet to follow traditional career paths, though both had tried to follow in their father's footsteps in soccer. Romeo made a professional debut in 2021, playing for his father's team, but he retired in 2023 to pivot to modeling.

Brooklyn Beckham, who married Nicola Peltz-Beckham in 2022, never went pro, but he has switched career paths over the years from modeling to photography to creating a short-lived cooking web series in 2022. In 2024, Brooklyn Beckham launched a hot sauce brand as his latest business venture.