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Adidas create an AI-generated David Beckham for £50m World Cup advert

He has been in partnership with Adidas for nearly 30 years after getting his first boot deal in 1996. 

And now the sports brand have created an AI-generated version of David Beckham for their new £50million 2026 FIFA World Cup advert. 

The five-minute trailer, named Backyard Legends, was released on YouTube on Thursday with a star-studded cast. 

It features different AI versions of David, 51, from the nineties and early noughties sporting some of his most iconic haircuts, including the mohawk. 

The Sun reports Beckham secured a ‘multi-million pound fee’ to join the campaign. Daily Mail has contacted David’s representative for comment.  

The cinematic advert was dropped ahead of the World Cup, which is set to begin on June 11. 

Adidas have created an AI-generated version of David Beckham for their star-studded £50million World Cup advert

Adidas have created an AI-generated version of David Beckham for their star-studded £50million World Cup advert

Hollywood actor Timothee Chalamet stars as a passionate amateur manager and the film’s narrator. 

The plot follows a street football match of a team of young prodigies called ‘The Invincibles’ take on global icons. 

AI versions of Zinedine Zidane and Alessandro del Piero also appear with Beckham, who ends up getting the football stuck in a tree. 

A host of world-class soccer stars also appear in the rest of the movie-style commercial; including Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit) and Florian Wirtz (Liverpool). 

Lionel Messi and Bad Bunny also star in the advert. 

Timothee said of starring in the cinematic short film: ‘I used to dream of playing with these guys – you know, I was playing at Pier 40 as a kid, thinking about Beckham’s free kicks, Del Piero’s goals, and Zidane’s volleys – doing my own versions.

‘I love this game, so it’s unbelievable to be doing this with Adidas, captured with the best to ever do it.

‘I’m a traditionalist, I don’t know soccer, I know football, and I can’t wait for this summer’s World Cup.’ 

Join the discussion

Is using AI to recreate sports legends for adverts exciting innovation or disrespectful to their legacy?

What’s your view?

[embedded content]
The five-minute trailer named Backyard Legends was released on YouTube on Thursday. It featured different AI versions of David, 51, from the nineties and early noughties

The five-minute trailer named Backyard Legends was released on YouTube on Thursday. It featured different AI versions of David, 51, from the nineties and early noughties

The plot follows a street football match of a team where a team of young prodigies called 'The Invincibles' take on global icons

The plot follows a street football match of a team where a team of young prodigies called ‘The Invincibles’ take on global icons

Hollywood actor Timothee Chalamet stars as a passionate amateur manager and the film's narrator

Hollywood actor Timothee Chalamet stars as a passionate amateur manager and the film’s narrator 

Bad Bunny
Lionel Messi

Bad Bunny (left) and Lionel Messi (right) are also seen chatting in the epic soccer commercial

The World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. 

It will feature an expanded format with 48 teams, making it the largest World Cup in history. 

The tournament will showcase top football talent from around the globe and is expected to attract massive worldwide audiences. 

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