David Beckham photos go up for auction for UNICEF.

David Beckham is one of the world's most handsome stars, and one of the most charitable.

And now, combining both of these things, striking photographs of the retired footballer and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador are going up for auction to raise money for the organisation.

An innovative international gala auction - simply named David Beckham: The Man - it focuses on a stunning collection of photographs of the star, some of which will be signed, and is part of a three-year worldwide programme for UNICEF.

A lot of the works are previously unseen, and include portraits of David by photographers such as Annie Leibovitz, Inez & Vinoodh, Mert & Marcus, Mario Sorrenti, Peter Lindbergh, Sam Taylor-Johnson and Steven Klein.

There will be additional pieces that have been newly-commissioned for the exhibition by the likes of Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Nadav Kander and Tessa Traeger. Perhaps the most memorable of the images sees the hunky 40-year-old posing in just his underwear against a mirror. Taken from his famous Emporio Armani campaign in 2008, fans of the star will no doubt remember the effect the pictures had. Showing off his rippling abs while wearing nothing but a pair of tight-fitting black Armani briefs, he smoulders while holding himself up against a full-length mirror, his gaze averted.

While he's still the owner of a fantastic set of abs and super-toned arms and thighs, the main difference between the nearly decade-old image and the David of today is the lack of tattoos across his body.

The Armani campaign image - shot by photography duo Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott - sees Becks with minimal ink, the main one being the line of Chinese lettering down his side. He is now almost completely covered and has over 40 tattoos permanently etched onto his skin, including the names of all of his four children. 

He also sported one of his most famous hairstyles - the almost clean-shaven head. Other images included a shocking portrait in which the sports icon is covered in fake blood, the red liquid spattered over his face and mohawk hairstyle photographed by fashion snapper Vincent Peters, it was one from a set of images that featured in the July 2001 issue of now-defunct magazine The Face.

Brooding into the camera and wettened from the fake blood, a ripped denim collar opened over his neckline, he looks as handsome as ever while in his earlier days as a global superstar. Other images from the set that are to be auctioned include an Annie Leibovitz cover shot from an old issue of Vanity Fair, which sees the shirtless hunk posing with a hooded jacket hanging off his head.

There's also a more recent shot of David by Mario Sorrenti, a black and white portrait in which he appears topless, his tattoos clearly visible across his bare shoulders. A very young David also appears in a black and white Marc Hom image, the footballer holding a ball to the back of his head, his hair longer and slicked back.

The images will all be auctioned for UNICEF, of which David is one of the key public-facing members, acting as Goodwill Ambassador. 

Fans of the star will be able to view the collection at the Phillips' European Headquarters in London from Saturday February 27 until Thursday March 10, when they'll be sold at auction. 

David has said of the new fundraising drive: 'This wonderful project in support of my own 7 Fund at UNICEF and Positive View Foundation will help create change for children and disadvantaged young people around the world'.