My piece on Beckham for this month’s That’s Beijing/Shanghai/PRD magazines is now online here, taking a look back at the first of three trips Becks will make to China this year in his role as CSL ambassador (headline was not mine, in case any libel lawyers are reading!).

The first trip was noticeably free of any commercial activities – including wearing no labels or sponsors of any description – and Beckham even pointedly said at the opening press conference that he wasn’t being paid “for this” (though it sounded a little bit like semantics to me). There are many positive things that Beckham does for kids and for charity, as I point out, but expect trips 2 and 3 (scheduled for late May June and November, respectively) to cash in on some significant earning opportunities.