The ex-Liverpool and Aston Villa keeper has been revealed as a new contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, but how much is he worth?
Retired former goalkeeper David James has had a long-spanning career, playing for several Premier League sides and winning 53 caps for England – as well as representing the Three Lions at the 2010 World Cup.
And he has now been unveiled as a new contestant on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, following in the footsteps of John Barnes, Peter Schmeichel and Robbie Savage.
“I’m really excited to be on Strictly this year,” James told the BBC.
“Not just competing against this year’s stars but being compared to previous sports stars from previous Strictly seasons. I told one person, I told Mum, and she forgot!”
So how much is the ex-England goalkeeper worth? Goal takes a look.
James currently has a net worth of £12 million, according to website Celebrity Net Worth.
James is reported to have earned an estimated £20m from his footballing career that included playing for the likes of Aston Villa, Liverpool, Watford, Portsmouth, Manchester City and West Ham.
He is fourth on the list of all-time Premier League appearances, having played in 572 top-flight matches, and held the Premier League record for most clean sheets with 169 until Petr Cech surpassed the record.
After he hung up his goalkeeping gloves, he had coaching positions at Icelandic side IBV Vestmannaeyjar, boyhood club Luton Town and Indian Super League team Kerala Blasters. Since then, he has worked as a pundit for BT Sport and Eurosport.
In 2014, however, James was forced to declare bankruptcy despite his handsome salary as a footballer. His debt had built up following a divorce from his ex-wife, Tanya. That same year, he had to place several of his possessions for sale that included prized football memorabilia from his playing days.
Items he sold to pay off the debts included valuable signed shirts, shorts and match balls as well his van and bike.
James was known for previous lucrative modelling deals with Giorgio Armani and H&M during his playing days.
He mainly uses social media to post photos of his family, behind-the-scenes material from his punditry jobs and his upcoming season on Strictly as well as his day-to-day life.
After visiting the African nation of Malawi to raise awareness for AIDS, James set up the David James Foundation to help maize farmers in the country develop more efficient production techniques.
With the foundation, James aims to provide teenagers in Malawi with the skills and techniques needed to work, such as the basics of mechanics and construction. The foundation also funds the David James Foundation Scholarship at the University of Westminster, which funds a Malawi student to study for a master’s degree in London.
“I hope that in 20 years’ time there is no David James Foundation in Malawi – either because a better organisation has taken over, or because the problems themselves have come so much closer to being solved,” James wrote in a column for the Guardian. “The day that happens – when Malawi’s people are no longer struggling with failed crops and hunger – may also be the beginning of their national team’s most successful period in their footballing history.”
Additionally, James is also a global ambassador for the Special Olympics, working closely with Access Sport to provide sports opportunities in deprived areas around the UK.
He has also been involved with BetRegret and Bet Regret FC as part of GambleAware, the leading charity in the UK committed to reducing gambling-related harms, playing in a team full of other ex-England internationals including Shaun Wright-Phillips, Joleon Lescott and Carlton Cole.
He is also environmentally mindful, choosing to return a plastic bag from Saatchi Gallery and calling out the art gallery’s hypocrisy over their use of plastic bags after expressing their concerns over single-use plastic.
“Interesting, @saatchi_gallery partnership with @fondationcarmignac, express their concerns over single-use plastic, with a dramatic installation at the @saatchi_gallery,” James wrote on Instagram.
“After purchasing some items in the gallery shop, I was given a plastic bag.. The plastic bag was returned, and a suitable, reusable bag was obtained.”
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