Football: Beckham confirms LA Galaxy move (original) (raw)

Months of speculation over David Beckham's future have finally been resolved after he confirmed that he will join the LA Galaxy on a five-year deal worth £128m (£25.6m per year) at the end of his Real Madrid contract this summer.

Beckham has fallen out of favour at Real this season under new coach Fabio Capello, and had previously been linked with a number of major English and European sides, including Bolton, Newcastle, Internazionale and AC Milan, as well as various Major League Soccer sides. As recently as yesterday Beckham's spokesman insisted he was still in talks over a new contract at Real, but today the player himself revealed he had agreed terms on a contract that will keep him with the Galaxy until he is 37.

"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. "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.

"I would like to thank the supporters and people of Madrid who have made my family and I feel so welcome in my time here, making this an extremely difficult decision to make. I have enjoyed my time in Spain enormously and I am extremely grateful to the club for giving me the opportunity to play for such a great team and their amazing fans.

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

MLS commissioner Don Garber was delighted that Beckham had chosen to join the Galaxy, saying the presence of such an iconic footballer would inspire more Americans to get involved in the game.

"David Beckham is a global sports icon who will transcend the sport of soccer in America," said Garber. "His decision to continue his storied career in Major League Soccer is testament to the fact that America is rapidly becoming a true 'Soccer Nation' with MLS at the core.

"In the last few years, MLS has added three new teams, six new owners, four new soccer-specific stadiums and signed four long-term television agreements. The addition of David Beckham represents another significant step forward for the MLS and the sport."

A move to America would not have been possible under previous MLS salary cap rules, which limited teams to an overall salary of about £1m per year, but a new designated player rule, already commonly known in America as "the Beckham rule", now allows each team to sign one player whose salary does not count towards that cap.

Even with the salary cap constraints removed, Beckham's pay packet far outstrips what could normally be afforded by a team whose stadium holds just 27,000 spectators, and it has taken some creative thinking from American Idol creator Simon Fuller, who represents Beckham, to achieve such a huge sum. It is understood that less than a fifth of the overall figure will come from Beckham's basic wage, with the greater part made up of a combination of sponsorship deals, merchandising sales and a participation in club profits.