Beckham to visit Seoul on Jan. 29 for Adidas Predator 24 event

David Beckham will visit Korea later this month to mark the launch of the Adidas Predator 24, the latest version of the classic football boots that the Manchester United legend wore for most of his career.

David Beckham arrives to attend a Champions League match between AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy on Nov. 7, 2023. [AP/YONHAP]

David Beckham will visit Korea later this month to mark the launch of the Adidas Predator 24, the latest version of the classic football boots that the Manchester United legend wore for most of his career.

Beckham will visit Seoul on Jan. 29, according to Adidas in a press release Monday. He will attend a Predator 24 launch event at the Adidas flagship store in Myeongdong, central Seoul, where there will also be a Q&A with fans and a chance to get autographs.

Tickets to the event will be available through a raffle to anybody who purchases the new Adidas Predator 24s either online or at the Adidas stores in Myeongdong; Hongdae in western Seoul; Gangnam, COEX and Lotte World Mall in southern Seoul; Dongseong-ro in Daegu; and Gwangbok-ro in Busan. Buyers are not automatically entered into the raffle, and need to opt in on the Adidas website by Jan. 21.

The Predator 24 is a reimagined version of the original 1994 Predator, designed in the same style as the original shoe but using modern technology and materials.

The high-tech design includes Adidas’ Strikeskin technology — “rubber fins... strategically placed in strike zones to support ball grip for precision shot-making” — molded fit and lightweight soleplate. The latest version of the shoe will be worn by Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus and Barcelona’s Pedri, among others.

Adidas Predator 24 [ADIDAS]

Beckham, perhaps the closest thing the footballing world has to royalty, is a former Manchester United legend, making 265 appearances and scoring 62 goals for the club between 1992 and 2003. He went on to make over 100 appearances for Real Madrid and 98 for LA Galaxy, before finally ending his playing career at Paris Saint-Germain in 2013.

Beckham was the first English player to win league titles in four countries — England, Spain, the United States and France — the first to make over 100 UEFA Champions League appearances, the captain of the England national team for six years and one of the highest-earning people in football for over 20 years.

He is the current president and co-owner of Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and co-owner of English League Two side Salford City.

Alongside Beckham, various generations of the Adidas Predator have been worn by a host of top footballers over the last 30 years, including former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, Real Madrid legend Raul, Barcelona institution Xavi and three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]