The David Beckham era of soccer may be officially over – he retired from active play in May 2013 after a career spanning two decades – but he has left behind a impressive legacy, to be sure. Beckham became the first English player to win league titles in four countries, having played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy and Paris Saint-German. He ranked as captain of the English national team for six years and in his last year of game play, he was the best-paid soccer player in the world, earning $50 million in a single twelve-month period.
When Beckham popped the question to Spice Girls singer Victoria Adams in 1998, he presented her with a marquise-cut polished diamond ring made up of 96 stones totaling 3 carats – and bought himself an identical band. At the time, they each cost $167,000, but since then they have more than doubled in value to $385,000 each. As a fashion icon who isn’t afraid to break traditional boundaries of gender expectations, Beckham is known to wear diamond stud earrings and other flashy jewelry items.
