Beckham pays himself £19m

David Beckham paid himself a salary of up to £19 million last year, it was reported today.

The former England football captain's income is listed in the end-of-year accounts for his company, Footwork Productions Ltd.

It includes income from his sponsorship deals with global brands including Adidas, Gillette, Pepsi and Police sunglasses.

But it does not include the £6 million a year he gets for playing for Spanish footballing giants Real Madrid, The Sun newspaper reported.

The accounts revealed Beckham shared a salary of £19.7 million with two members of staff, but he is believed to have pocketed most of it, The Sun said.

Beckham's spokesman told the newspaper that the figure was so high because he only paid himself £100,000 the previous financial year.

Together with wife Victoria, the former Manchester United player has launched a series of money-spinning ventures, including books and fragrances.

The couple were once dubbed "Dosh and Becks" for their high-profile and lucrative careers.

Beckham also runs another company, Brand Beckham, which holds the copyright to his latest book.

Victoria has her own firm, Moody Productions, which is responsible for the income from her pop career.