David Beckham played professional football.
David Beckham . Beckham has consistently ranked among the highest earners in football , and in 2013 he was listed as the highest-paid player in the world , earning over $ 50 million in the previous 12 months . The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award presented annually by the sport 's governing body , FIFA , since 1991 . Real Madrid Club de Fútbol ( [ reˈal maˈðɾið ˈkluβ ðe ˈfuðβol ] ; Royal Madrid Football Club ) , commonly known as Real Madrid , or simply as Real , is a professional football club based in Madrid , Spain .