Posted on 01/11/2007 8:04:59 AM PST by dogbyte12
David Beckham will leave Real Madrid and join Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy at the end of the season. The 31-year-old former England captain will sign a five-year deal, reportedly worth £128m.
Beckham said: "This week Real asked me to make a decision regarding their offer to extend my contract.
"After considering several options to stay in Madrid or join other major British and European teams, I have decided to join LA Galaxy."
In a statement, Beckham continued: "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.
Here is a picture of Beckham, and one with the wife.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
Good high profile move for US soccer. Beckham is a God in Asia. Japanese teen-agers will probably buy enough Beckham LA Galaxy t-shirts for the team to make a profit off of him.
What did Ali G have to say about all of this??
I dunno. That could be fun(ny).
Beckham's celebrity is a pain in the butt though. Think Michael Jordan married to Madonna, and you have a good idea of the impact in other parts of the world this couple has. It's going to be very silly in LA this summer. The tabloids will be going on overdrive. Our tabloid photographers just got a gift. They are going to stalk these two like crazy.
Posh has had a lot of work done. She used to look a lot more natural.
How much money does the LA Galaxy have exactly!
And I don't mean it in a negative way, either. More power to Mr. Beckham, and I expect to see him play Chicago this summer.
Beckham can still do set pieces and corners, isn't that all he was doing in Spain anyway?
The profit margins on those things are huge. An $80 shirt will probably net them $40 per unit. The Galaxy thinks they will turn a profit.
Not a soccer fan myself, but as a casual observer it seems to me that Beckham is persona non grata in Euro-soccer after England's World Cup disappointment.
To me, this would be like Brett Favre going to the CFL to play out his golden years.
MLS is JV soccer...no?
No, MLS is not JV soccer. It's basically a feeder league right now.
The top 5 leagues in the world have huge amounts of cash and revenue. They buy promising players from the lesser leagues. Trades are not really what goes on in soccer, it's straight out purchases of player contracts.
The New England Revolution sold Clint Dempsey to Fulham in England yesterday for about $4,000,000. The Ny Metrostars sold Tim Howard to Manchester United for about $3,500,000. That is the function of feeder leagues. If they scout enough talent, grow their market, sell enough players, they start to grow and become larger which is the hope here.
What a huge boost for soccer in the U.S.? Something like this is a godsend for American soccer. This could concievably propel soccer into a true nationwide sport with real revenues. Or not.
That was kind of my point by saying it was JV.
The JV is a "feeder league" to the Varsity...
like in hockey...the AHL feeds the NHL
So do you think Beckham was having a hard time fitting in in the big leagues? Sure he probably had a guaranteed spot on his team, but probably not the playing time and role on the team that he used to have...over here he's gonna be a BMOC so the move was kind of a no-brainer. Right?
Yes. Tens of fans will now flock to see the LA Galaxy play!
The MLS has signed their death warrant. They are going to go into the same downward spiral that the NASL did after they brought in Pele.
The galaxy averages over 20,000 per game. But why let facts get into the discussion.
A match made in heaven. Both entities (Beckham & MLS) claim to be involved in professional football, but the evidence is lacking.
The Cosmos once drew over 70,000 to their games. But the other franchises couldn't keep up, you can't have a one-team league.
Possibly. They do have a new rule, that was informally called the "beckham rule" that allows them to spend like crazy on one player only.
The other players are all still salary capped, with the top salary being 400,000 a year.
They figure, one marquee player per club, and it will draw buzz. Rumor is that Claudio Reyna is going back to the US to play for NY, and that NY is trying to sign the Brazilian Ronaldo as well.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.