Football story by Brian Watters, Fri, 12 Jan 2007 10:36:01 GMT


After months of speculation and “will he; won't he?” trashed about in the media, former England skipper David Beckham finally confirmed that he was leaving Spanish giants Real Madrid in June to join the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.

The 31-year-old midfielder was thought to have been forced to make this decision after finding himself out of the starting eleven in Fabio Capello's side. Beckham was wanted by a multitude of English clubs as well as other European sides, but he turned them all down for a chance to dazzle America.

"People will be turning round saying, 'He is only going there to get the money'. It is not what I am going out there to do," he explained. The deal, which is potentially worth $250 million over five years, may well see him earning $1 million a week.

Advertisment

Beckham has had a forgettable 2006. Captain of an England side that was dumped out of the World Cup in the quarterfinals, he scored just one goal in the finals. Following England's dismal performance he resigned as skipper to be replaced by John Terry of Chelsea.

However it was not the end of bad luck. New England boss Steve McClaren dumped Becks out of the team itself. The situation was worse at the Bernebeu when Fabio Capello took over. Although he insisted that Beckham was important to him and Real, the midfielder did not find a place in the regular team.

"Another challenge has come up and it is the right time for us to do it," Beckham said. "I'm going to hopefully build a club and a team that has a lot of potential. I think that is what excites me."