Jaguar has announced football icon David Beckham will be joining the British manufacturer as a brand ambassador for China.

David Beckham will become the face of a high-profile marketing campaign, including print ads shot by renowned fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh.

China is fast becoming Jaguar’s most important and competitive market and the choice of Beckham, arguably the most recognizable British star across the Asian continent, could prove to be a very shrewd move.

“David Beckham is a Briton whose achievements mean he has global popularity and he is someone who embodies contemporary British style and sophistication. He is a truly modern, British individual with a genuine passion for design, innovation, performance and driving,” said Jaguar Land Rover China managing director Bob Grace.

Described as a long-term partnership, the deal will see Beckham appear in a series of print and TV ads screened exclusively in China, starting with the campaign to launch the Jaguar F-Type Coupé in the country.

It’s not the Beckham family’s first brush with Jaguar Land Rover. In 2012, Victoria Beckham designed and launched in China a special limited edition Range Rover Evoque at the Beijing Motor Show.