Becks is a £50m man

David Beckham is worth £50 million - twice as much as any other young British sports star.

The past year alone has seen him boost his fortune by £15million.

He earned around £5million from Manchester United in 2002 - plus double that figure for endorsements from firms such as Adidas and Vodafone.

Beckham's earning ability was further boosted by his appearances in Japan, both on and off the pitch, at last summer's World Cup, when he was the favourite pin-up of the growing army of Japanese soccer fans.

The value of his globallyrecognised name - epitomised by the release of the film Bend Like It Beckham - is reflected in the fact that his £90,000-aweek contract with United includes £20,000 a week for 'image rights'.

Beckham's wife Victoria is estimated to have contributed £10million towards the family fortune, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

The rumoured move to European champions Real Madrid would, of course, boost his earning potential still further.

Beckham is one of eight United players under 30 in a top 20 of Britain's richest young sportsmen.

They include Ryan Giggs at number five with £14milliion and Rio Ferdinand and Juan Sebastian joint eighth with £10million each.