David Beckham has signed a three year deal to be the new bod for Giorgio Armani underwear.  The contract gives Beckham an annual fee plus royalties and cements his status as the world’s best paid footballer. 

Beckham will front the underwear campaign in a series of billboard and fashion magazine advertisements beginning in 2008.  Last Friday, he was shooting the campaign in Los Angeles.  

This is the second go around for the Beckham-Armani team -  in 2002 the Italian designer created uniforms for the England team’s wardrobe.  The new deal is Beckham’s first formal clothing contract. The campaign for the “Emporio SS08″ underwear is thought to have been sanctioned by Giorgio Armani himself, especially since Armani has become friends with Beckham and his wife, Victoria, after the couple moved to California. 

A source close to the deal said:

“The personal relationship was definitely instrumental in this deal. David and Giorgio get on very well so it was very much Giorgio’s personal choice. But Armani also see this as a sound business decision – few individuals have a truly global reach that can match David’s.”