MADRID, Spain -- 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," Beckham said. "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."
Beckham, 31, who joined Real Madrid 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 in the 1970s and early eighties.
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.
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."
The news ends months of speculation about the future of the midfielder whose contract with Real Madrid expires at the end of the season.
A starter since he joined Real Madrid, 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."
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.
"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," Beckham said. "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."
Beckham, 31, who joined Real Madrid 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 in the 1970s and early eighties.
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.
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."
The news ends months of speculation about the future of the midfielder whose contract with Real Madrid expires at the end of the season.
A starter since he joined Real Madrid, 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."
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.
I'll get myself to a pub to do some research for you 
to offer him that type of money.
