[blk_orion]

http://sports.yahoo....uters&type=lgns




MADRID (Reuters) - Former England captain David Beckham will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season and sign a five-year deal for MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy, he told Reuters on Thursday.

"This week Real Madrid asked me to make a decision regarding my future and the offer to extend my contract for a further two seasons," said Beckham.

ADVERTISEMENT


"After discussing several options with my family and my advisors to either stay here in Madrid or join other major British and European teams I have decided to join LA Galaxy and play in the MLS from August this year.

"I would like to thank supporters and the people of Madrid who have made my family and I so welcome in my time here making this an extremely difficult decision to make.

"I have enjoyed my time here enormously and I am extremely grateful to the club for giving me an opportunity to play for such a great team and their amazing fans."

Real Madrid confirmed that Beckham would not renew his contract with the club.

"After a meeting this morning at the Bernabeu between the club and David Beckham's agents both parties decided that David would not extend his present contract with the club which ends on June 30, 2007," Real said on their Web site (www.realmadrid.com).

The 31-year-old, who joined Real from Manchester United in June 2003, is the most famous player to sign up for Major League Soccer since it began in 1996.

He is also the biggest name player to move to club soccer in the U.S. since the likes of Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff played in the long-defunct North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 1970s and early eighties.

HUGE DEAL

His deal is reported to be one of the biggest in global sport with Beckham set to earn more than $250 million over the duration of his contract.

LA Galaxy had made public their interest in Beckham who runs a football academy that shares its home with the team and who has close links to the Anschutz Entertainment Group who own the club.

The news ends months of speculation about the future of the midfielder whose contract with Real expires at the end of the season.

Having been first choice in the Real Madrid starting lineup since he moved to Spain, Beckham lost his place following the arrival of Italian coach Fabio Capello.

He has only started five of Real's 16 league games this season and was known to be frustrated with his lack of opportunities in the first team.

The former Manchester United player said he was now inspired by the challenge of cracking the American soccer market.

"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.

But he insisted he would be giving his all for Real Madrid until the end of the season to try and win the major trophy that has eluded him since he joined the club in 2003.

"For the rest of this season I will continue to give 100 percent to my coach, team mates and fans and I believe Fabio Capello will bring this club and its supporters the success they truly deserve."

[blk_orion]

I dont know much about soccer, but to me it's like backpeddling as far advancement and I've always thought the currency was higher in France, why couldn't he go there?

[JetsOhFive]

Beckham could have probably still gone to the Premiership. Him going to the United States is more or less going to be just for publicity. It'll be great for the league as far as interest as growth is concerned though.

[blk_orion]

His deal is reported to be one of the biggest in global sport with Beckham set to earn more than $250 million over the duration of his contract following the removal of the salary cap in the MLS. Beckham will earn approximately one million dollars a week.

A mil a week????
MLS will be filing bankrupty sooner than they think.

[JetsOhFive]

A mil a week????
MLS will be filing bankrupty sooner than they think.

I swear to God, I bought season tix for the Red Bulls. So if the game against the Galaxy is before Becks arrives, I'll flip a shit like none other.

[Smedsthejet]

Beckham could have probably still gone to the Premiership. Him going to the United States is more or less going to be just for publicity. It'll be great for the league as far as interest as growth is concerned though.

With his talent he should find it easy in America but it is a good publicity move for the game in America and could attract other star talent to the MLS - apparently the New York Red Bulls are after Ronaldo now.

For Beckham's international career it's a bad move but when you're earning five times more than the rest of the Galaxy squad combined, not playing for your country again doesn't seem too much of a sacrifice.

[JetsOhFive]

With his talent he should find it easy in America but it is a good publicity move for the game in America and could attract other star talent to the MLS - apparently the New York Red Bulls are after Ronaldo now.

For Beckham's international career it's a bad move but when you're earning five times more than the rest of the Galaxy squad combined, not playing for your country again doesn't seem too much of a sacrifice.

Well your new coach didn't want him for England anymore so he's really not missing anything there. As for Ronaldo, I heard he may go to Milan or a Saudi Arabian team (the one that Figo is with) but if he is to come to America and play for the Red Bulls, his talent will probably do more from an "on the pitch" stand point than Beckham will. Becks will most certainly help more from a glamour and off pitch standpoint though.

On a note, since Beckham signed, the Galaxy has sold upwards of 2500 season tickets.

[Smedsthejet]

Well your new coach didn't want him for England anymore so he's really not missing anything there. As for Ronaldo, I heard he may go to Milan or a Saudi Arabian team (the one that Figo is with) but if he is to come to America and play for the Red Bulls, his talent will probably do more from an "on the pitch" stand point than Beckham will. Becks will most certainly help more from a glamour and off pitch standpoint though.

On a note, since Beckham signed, the Galaxy has sold upwards of 2500 season tickets.

Our new coach will want him back soon though as his replacement - Stewart Downing - isn't anywhere near as good and so far in the qualifiers for the European Championships we have sucked without him. In the World Cup, despite playing poorly, he played a significant part in most of England's goals.

[JetsOhFive]

Our new coach will want him back soon though as his replacement - Stewart Downing - isn't anywhere near as good and so far in the qualifiers for the European Championships we have sucked without him. In the World Cup, despite playing poorly, he played a significant part in most of England's goals.

I wanna see Beckham next summer in Euro. I do because he is one of my favorite players. And yes he was a major part of a few of Englands goals last summer (also, that goal against Paraguay shouldn't have been an own goal). But the reality is, with him out there, it's basically like playing after someone got a red card. He doesn't really have the skills to make anything happen at a national level anymore, he was only effective from set pieces in the World Cup and its surprising to me that you guys cant find another player in England who can play the wing. But Smedsy I'll take your word for it, you're closer than I am to the England national team than I am, it's just shocking that Downing cant out do Becks on the pitch.

[Smedsthejet]

I wanna see Beckham next summer in Euro. I do because he is one of my favorite players. And yes he was a major part of a few of Englands goals last summer (also, that goal against Paraguay shouldn't have been an own goal). But the reality is, with him out there, it's basically like playing after someone got a red card. He doesn't really have the skills to make anything happen at a national level anymore, he was only effective from set pieces in the World Cup and its surprising to me that you guys cant find another player in England who can play the wing. But Smedsy I'll take your word for it, you're closer than I am to the England national team than I am, it's just shocking that Downing cant out do Becks on the pitch.

The main reason England have struggled to find a replacement and will struggle to fill holes at other positions in the future is the amount of foreign players playing in the Premiership who take the positions of English youngsters who just sit on the bench and aren't allowed to progress.
The England Under 21 side has seen few players graduate to the senior side in recent times and even then they are only fringe players and hardly see any playing time at all.