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TGL:CBKoE
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Beckham to leave Real Madrid for LA Galaxy
LONDON (AP) - David Beckham agreed to a five-year deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer, leaving the Real Madrid club at which he enjoyed worldwide popularity but experienced disappointment on the field.
Beckham, the former English captain who also starred for Manchester United, will join the Galaxy after his contract with Real Madrid expires on June 30. Los Angeles opens its season April 8 in Houston.
"I am proud to have played for two of the biggest clubs in football and I look forward to the new challenge of growing the world's most popular game in a country that is as passionate about its sport as my own," he said in a statement released Thursday.
The move was announced following the end of talks on extending the 31-year-old English midfielder's contract with the Spanish club. MLS recently changed its rules on salary caps, clearing the way for Beckham to sign a lucrative deal. British news reports put the Galaxy deal at $250 million.
"This week, Real Madrid asked me to make a decision regarding my future and the offer to extend my contract by a further two seasons," Beckham said in the statement. "After discussing several options with my family and advisers to either stay here at Madrid or join other major British and European clubs, I have decided to join the Los Angeles Galaxy and play in the MLS from August this year."
Beckham has soccer academies in London and Los Angeles. His wife Victoria, a former Spice Girl, was recently photographed househunting in Los Angeles.
"David Beckham will have a greater impact on soccer in America than any athlete has ever had on a sport globally," said Timothy J. Leiweke, president & CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns the Galaxy. "David is truly the only individual that can build the bridge between soccer in America and the rest of the world."
Beckham joined Real Madrid in 2003 after a hugely successful run with Manchester United, where he won six league titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League title. But Beckham did not win a single major trophy with the Spanish club, and his spell coincided with Madrid's worst slump since the early 1950s. Real Madrid has had six different coaches and three club presidents during Beckham's stay, but the club has made a fortune - in part because of the star's position as a cultural icon for soccer fans and non-fans alike, including men, women and children of different ethnic and racial groups.
His marketability was emphasized by the hit movie "Bend It Like Beckham," even as his skills deteriorated with age.
Beckham's contract included a clause in which half his image rights would go to Real Madrid. That helped earn the club millions, allowing the Spanish team to overtake Manchester United as the biggest earner in world soccer.
Beckham led England to the quarterfinals of the World Cup last summer, scoring from a free kick in the second round to beat Ecuador 1-0. But he was taken off the field early in the second half against Portugal with ankle and Achilles tendon injuries, and then watched as his team was eliminated in a penalty shootout. A day after the game, Beckham stepped down as captain of the team - a post he had held for 58 of his 94 international appearances. Then, on Aug. 11, England coach Steve McClaren dropped Beckham from the team altogether, signaling the end of his international career.
well....i hope he does well in america! |
| Thu Jan 11, 2007 5:16 pm |
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ceh 
Emo Kid !
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Joined: 06 Jun 2005
Posts: 3603
Location: Mol, Belgium
26013 ODpoints
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Well too bad I guess, Id like to see him play in Europe, se we hear more about him, now nobody will even hear about him in Europe, also a terrible ending for such a star |
| Thu Jan 11, 2007 6:01 pm |
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TGL:CBKoE
Division 2 Novice
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Joined: 12 Aug 2005
Posts: 910
Location: At Home
29366 ODpoints
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| ceh wrote: |  Well too bad I guess, Id like to see him play in Europe, se we hear more about him, now nobody will even hear about him in Europe, also a terrible ending for such a star  |
i kno...i wanted him to join LFC, @ best  |
| Thu Jan 11, 2007 6:18 pm |
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nakamura
Division 2 Novice
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Joined: 15 Apr 2006
Posts: 597
46494 ODpoints
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actually its nice to see him go to the MLS now i'll get to see him play and die haha. anyways i just wonder where we r getting the money... |
| Thu Jan 11, 2007 7:06 pm |
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doggiedog
Division 1 Rookie
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Joined: 25 May 2006
Posts: 1279
14718 ODpoints
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real madrid ruined beckhem he was so good at man u |
| Thu Jan 11, 2007 7:17 pm |
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TGL:CBKoE
Division 2 Novice
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Joined: 12 Aug 2005
Posts: 910
Location: At Home
29366 ODpoints
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| doggiedog wrote: | | real madrid ruined beckhem he was so good at man u |
i agree, he was good @ manchester united, then he was good @ Real Madrid, but he went rubbish, cos he wasnt played, so now he can play more often & maybe JUST maybe get back into the england squard |
| Thu Jan 11, 2007 7:33 pm |
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nakamura
Division 2 Novice
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Joined: 15 Apr 2006
Posts: 597
46494 ODpoints
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dude thats wayyy to much money wayy to much and the mls have no chance of getting him that much. |
| Thu Jan 11, 2007 8:32 pm |
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amanda17xo
Division 1 Novice
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Joined: 24 Sep 2005
Posts: 1554
26501 ODpoints
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ugh i can't believe he's being wasted on a team like LA  maybe he'll bring them back. god .. i can't believe it actually happened
| Quote: | MLS and AEG are gambling that the league's latest blockbuster signing can give the young league the same glamour and panache that Pele gave the now-defunct NASL some 30 or so years ago.
MLS, which furiously pursued the former English superstar, went so far as to rejigger their salary cap rules to accommodate a man of Beckham's talent and paycheck. Now that they have their man in a deal said to be worth some $38 million per year (of which MLS is only responsible for $400,000), all eyes now turn to Los Angeles, where the one-time Manchester United star will ply his trade come July.
MORE BECKHAM!
BlogJam
What would David Beckham mean for Major League Soccer? Let us know what you think.
Photo Galleries
• David "His Hairness" Beckham
• David Beckham's Career
• MLS transfers | Becks' Babes
Stories
• Beckham coming to MLS with L.A.
• TRECKER: Chasing Pele's legend
• New beginnging or last payday?
• Perfect fit for L.A. | Who's paying?
• Statement from David Beckham
• Beckham's career highlights
Buy David Beckham team kits from Fox Soccer Shop:
Becks Brand | Galaxy | England
A worldwide marquee name, Beckham is known as much for his ad campaigns as for his glamorous wife, the former pop star "Posh" Spice. Courted by teams in Italy, England and Spain despite a declining track record on the field, Beckham is one of the few crossover stars in the game, instantly recognizable around the planet. He is a hero in Asia and Britain, well-respected in Europe and well-known in the States. While some in America mistakenly believe that his visibility means he is the world's best player — he is merely the most recognizable — he is indeed a world-class talent.
Pele, of course, signed for the New York Cosmos in 1975 for what was then a record figure for a player: some $5 million. That was after a long courtship by Clive Toye, who convinced the Brazilian star that he could become a legend by selling the game to Americans. Toye was correct, in part. Pele remains a global brand and is instantly recognizable in the USA despite the game's overall anonymity.
The overall legacy of Pele is far more nuanced. After the great man left, crowds slowly began to decline, and it is arguable whether or not Pele had any real impact on the American players of his day. What isn't in question is the fact that the NASL — with or without Pele — left behind a legacy of youth soccer, coaches and was the inspiration for many players who were part of the 1990 American team which qualified for a World Cup after 40 years in the soccer wilderness.
There is no doubt that 32 years on, Pele is a still hero and an inspiration. MLS must hope that Beckham can exceed the master for a league that still is struggling to break into a very crowded American sports landscape.
There is some cause for doubt given Beckham's recent performance on the field. He made little mark on this summer's World Cup, then lost his captaincy of the English squad and eventually his starting position at Real Madrid.
Yet while Beckham is aging — he is 31 — he is not over the hill, and arguably needs the lift that a solid stint in what is a growing league could give him. A show of good form on the field might get him back into the England squad in time for Euro 2008. He was reportedly bitterly disappointed to lose not only his captain's armband, but also his place in the revamped post-Germany squad.
But Beckham can still play. He is a masterful passer and one of the deadliest set-piece servers in the game, making him attractive to teams in England and Italy. While never a player whose presence dominated games, Beckham always had the ability to decide an outcome with one flash of creative brilliance, no matter how inconsequential his other acts had been on the day.
Beckham and Real Madrid sold out the Home Depot Center in 2005 during a friendly with the Galaxy. AEG is hoping he'll do it now every night. (Lisa Blumenfeld/Staff / Getty Images)
He's also a goalscorer, something American fans identify with. It was not all that long ago, remember, when the then-MetroStars lured world class Lothar Matthaus, only to discover that some in the American media knew nothing about a player's skills if they were not directly related to finding the back of the net. Similarly, multi-talented playmakers like Marco Etcheverry and Carlos Valderrama, while appreciated greatly by the hard-core soccer fan in the United States, passed under the larger sporting radar for similar reasons.
And the truth is, MLS has to do something if it is to build on the commercial success of last summer's World Cup.
Have an opinion to share with Trecker?
Jamie Trecker's Soccer Blog
Paid attendance for its games is sluggish and despite signing deals with ESPN, Univision and Fox Soccer to carry its telecasts, there are real questions about the product on display. Bringing in a genuine star might help expose more people to a sport that still lags badly behind its competitors in both quality and status.
The last time the league had a star it could trumpet — the teen phenomenon Freddy Adu — game-day sales did increase. If Beckham can attract and hold mainstream interest, he may well be worth whatever the league pays him.
Should Beckham be the light that can draw fans to the American game, the only question remaining will be: what's next? Will other MLS teams follow suit and begin to import the talent American sports fans have always craved? Only time will tell.
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| Thu Jan 11, 2007 11:49 pm |
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