England football captain David Beckham has enhanced his position as Great Britain's richest young sportsman despite his low productivity with Real Madrid.

Beckham, 29, has yet to win a medal since moving to the Bernabeu two years ago yet increased his wealth and overall advantage over fellow sportsmen aged 30 or under in the Sunday Times` Rich List 2005.

In fact, Beckham, whose bounty includes some earnings by wife Victoria, is the only sports personality to feature in the overall list of Britain`s 1,000 most wealthy individuals.

Their $ 140 million fortune places them equal 654th on the main list, thanks to the former Manchester United midfielder`s $ 9 million-a-year wages in Spain and $ 28 million-a-year-plus endorsements from companies like Gillette, Vodafone and adidas.

Madrid team-mate Michael Owen is the next rung down on the sporting ladder with $ 56 million, an increase of $ 9 million in a year, which represents half of Beckham`s increase.

However, the 25-year-old has edged ahead of former Liverpool team-mate Robbie Fowler, whose investment in property is credited for much of his income.

Foreign stars Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, Arsenal`s Frenchmen, and Dutch duo Ruud van Nistelrooy and Patrick Kluivert, of Manchester United and Newcastle respectively, make the top dozen.

Source: CRI News