“Transfer of the century” cost 37.5 million euros: 20 years ago today, Beckham’s Real change drove the world crazy

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It is June 17, 2003 and just after 9 p.m. the news leaks: the then 28-year-old David Beckham has signed for Real Madrid. The confirmation brings to an end a two-month back-and-forth discussion about the England star, who is much more than a great footballer. Just days earlier, President Perez had committed the Englishman with “Never, never, never!” noticed. It suited the spectacle in Madrid.

In 2000, Florentino Perez was elected president of Real Madrid. “Los Galácticos” (Eng. de Galactics) was founded with the Spanish entrepreneur. Every year a superstar signs in the Spanish capital. The team was peppered with stars such as Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos.

Pop icon and soccer player

“Never in the history of football has a club had as many stars in its team as Real now,” wrote the Spanish sports newspaper “Marca” after Beckham signed in Madrid.

But David Beckham wasn’t just any star in real clothes. The Englishman was as much a pop icon as he was a football star, and at the time of the transfer was probably the most famous football personality in the world. The change in Spain was clearly described as the “handover of the century”. Even if this description is incorrect in terms of the transfer fee, it has changed the world of football forever.

The superstar effect

“Beckham came up with major sponsorship deals. The opening to China, the merchandising revenue thanks to the stars, it all started with him. The paradigm shift came with Beckham,” says sports marketing professor Alvaro Fernandez Luna. It is clear that Beckham is not only moving to Madrid because of his football talent, but much more because of his enormous reach.No wonder that Beckham is on a big promotional tour in Asia with his wife Victoria a few days after the transfer.

Florentino Perez not only got a free kick specialist with Beckham, but also the Asian market. During the week-long tour of Asia, the couple sold numerous genuine merchandise items such as mobile phones and beauty products, and sweater sales exploded from one million to three million shirts sold in one week. Five million Asian fans were suddenly Real fans and no longer kept their fingers crossed for Manchester United, Beckham’s former club.

New era in football

Real paid 37.5 million euros for the Briton, who was knighted by the queen a few weeks earlier. This amount no longer surprises football experts, but in 2003 it was still a record in the transfer window and the twelfth most expensive transfer in history. 20 years later, the spectacle change still ranks 217th.

On the sporting front, Beckham’s time in Madrid was sobering. In four years he “only” wins a Spanish championship and the Spanish Supercup. In 2007, the Brit moved to LA Galaxy in the US, ending the first era of the “galactic”. In his last season at Real, Beckham was often in the stands and came into conflict with then coach Fabio Capello.

Nevertheless, the transfer of “Spice Boy” Beckham ushered in a new era with numerous additional clauses and contracts now standard in the world of football. (jsl)

Source : Blick