Beckham's Vodafone contract is one of his biggest and most lucrative sponsorship deals, ranking alongside Pepsi, Adidas and most recently Gillette, which might be wondering if it clambered onboard the Beckham promotional bandwagon too late.
Gillette signed a multimillion-pound three-year deal with Beckham, worth considerably less than the 拢40m originally reported, that will see him feature in the shaving firm's worldwide consumer advertising and promotional campaigns. The first work ran during Euro 2004.
If Vodafone axes Beckham it would bring to an end a two-year deal, worth an estimated 拢2m to Beckham, as the mobile phone firm considers what direction to take the brand in.
Following Beckham's penalty miss against Portugal last week, a spokesman for Vodafone said: "I can not confirm if a new contract will be signed because it might not be.
"Our people will look at what marketing activity is coming up and decide if David's the right fit. If they feel he's no longer right then that's a decision they鈥檒l make."
However, industry experts are not expecting a rush of sponsors dropping the global star, who is worth as much to major brands because of his celebrity status as his on-the-ball skills.
Just prior to the start of Euro 2004 Beckham drafted in an associate director from Ketchum, Simon Oliveira, to handle his PR as part of an effort to return the focus of his promotional activity to his footballing skills.
Oliveira will be paid by Beckham's company Footwork and will start in August.
Oliveira is just one part of the Beckham promotional machine. He is also promoted by CM Publicity, the agency run by Caroline McAteer, while "Beckham brand" initiatives -- PR forays involving wife Victoria -- have been run by the Simon Fuller-backed triumvirate of 19 Management, CM and Henry's House.
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