Beckham by Ellis Cashmore, published by Polity Press, priced £12.99, is out now.

ALL over the world, the boy with decorously pale looks and an ex-Spice Girl wife is adored, venerated and even worshipped.

Beckham is not just a sportsman, or a superstar, or sex-symbol. He is a global brand, the human heart of a multi-million pound personal industry.

In a new book about the Beckham phenomenon, academic Ellis Cashmore says the clue to understanding his iconic status lays not on the football pitch but in our culture.

"There has been a crystallisation of so many things that have all combined at this particular time in history, which is why he is such a unique character."

Cashmore, who is Professor of Culture, Media and Sport at Staffordshire University and lectures on why Beckham is an icon, adds: "I am sure there have been other footballers who have the looks and talent of Beckham, but because they arrived slightly before or after him they will never achieve the same iconic status as he has."

He was signed up to Manchester United at 14 before becoming a full professional at 16, but his rise was far from meteoric.

At 19 there were doubts about his size and physical strength and he was loaned to Preston North End to 'toughen him up'. Then, while playing alongside Eric Cantona in 1996, he scored a 'wonder goal' that meant from then on, his progress would be tracked.

Beckham represented England in international competition the same year and was subsequently offered a £1 million endorsement deal with Brylcreem and signed up by Adidas.

His subsequent relationship with then Spice Girl Victoria Adams attracted massive press attention, and the two were pursued relentlessly by the paparazzi.

He was suddenly denigrated from media darling to the most reviled man in England when he was sent off in the crucial match against Argentina for lashing out at Diego Simeone.

Cashmore says this hell-and-back drama in which the foolish boy grew up to become a real man is like one of those fundamental, archetypal stories which are common to virtually all societies.

Another reason for Beckham's status is that in the eyes of the public, he and his wife have become living advertisements for the fairytale 'good life' which everyone dreams about.