'Retired' Beckham set to release new 'coffee table' picture book on playing career

Former England soccer captain David Beckham is planning to release a picture book in October in a deal with a UK publishing unit of French media company Lagardere, which will feature images from his playing career.

According to Sport24, the ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder, who retired from football in May after a brief spell with French club Paris St Germain, is expected to release the book on October 31 with Lagardere's UK-based Headline Publishing Group.

Headline's non-fiction publishing director, Jonathan Taylor, bought the world rights in a deal with the 38-year-old's management company XIX Entertainment for a book the publisher revealed will be a personal celebration of his playing days, the report said.

Taylor said in a statement that David Beckham was, without a doubt, the most universally recognized and popular sports person on the planet and the book would be a superb way for his millions of fans around the world to celebrate David's remarkable achievements within football.