'Becks divi' for Man U investors

MANCHESTER United's clutch of celebrity and multi-millionaire shareholders - as well as tens of thousands of small shareholding supporters - received a boost to their bank balances today as the Premiership champions paid what was dubbed a 'Becks divi' on the back of storming financial results.

Reporting near-20% rises in turnover to £173m and pre-tax profits to £39m for last season, the club said it is cranking up the annual dividend by around a fifth to 2.5p a share.

With the £16m proceeds of the sale of David Beckham to Real Madrid in the bank, the club also announced a 1.5p special dividend. The shareholder payouts total more than £10m and are unprecedented for a UK football company.

United's biggest investors, the Irish horseracing tycoons John Magnier and JP McManus, take a dividend cheque for £1.2m.

There are big payouts for other international investors whose interests have sparked takeover speculation and seen the shares, down 4p today at 196p, double since the winter to levels not seen in two and half years.

Chief executive David Gill said the raised divi reflected the £23m first-time income from Nike's 13-year sponsorship deal, an extra £4.7m from hosting the Champions League final at Old Trafford and the club's four-match US summer tour as well as as soaring gate revenues, up 25% at £70m, from 33 home games.

'The increased dividend shows we are clear about what we can deliver in the future,' he said.