David Beckham Shirtless and Steamy is First Man Elle UK Cover: See Both July 2012 Cover Options Up Close!

We knew that David Beckham had the July cover of Elle UK in the bag, but we didn't know it was going to feature him shirtless. And wet. And all smoulder-y-like. My, my! Becks fronts the London Olympics-themed edition which is set to go on sale tomorrrow, tying in perfectly with his unofficial ambassador role. Editor in chief Lorraine Candy said of her first male cover star, "David Beckham is a national hero... He is an icon and Elle is known for featuring icons on its cover. This is a first for us on the newsstand and I believe he is loved by men and women alike... Anyway, who doesn’t want to see a picture of one of the world’s most handsome men on the front cover of a magazine? It will be a collector’s issue."  Yes, Lorraine, we think it will be. We were going to ask you if you preferred the subscribers' edition (left), or the one that will sit on stands (right) — but after a closer inspection we thought that maybe you'd prefer simply to inspect Becks, we mean, both, up close. Click into the gallery to get a better look at this Brit icon at work. Images courtesy of Doug Ingrish and Elle UK.