David Beckham is set to become the second highest-paid sportsman in the US after signing a five-year contract worth up to US$250 million with Major League Soccer side Los Angeles Galaxy.
The former England captain ended months of speculation on Thursday by announcing that his largely unhappy three-year spell at Real Madrid will end in the summer, a move that signals the end of Beckham's career in top-flight soccer and any lingering ambition to regain the England place he lost when Steve McClaren replaced Sven-Goran Eriksson as head coach of the national side last summer.
The blow will be softened, however, by a weekly income of ?500,000 (US$969,000), comprised of salary, image rights and associated sponsorship, and the challenge of establishing the Beckham brand in a country that has thus far been largely unmoved by the rest of the world's favorite game.
Beckham turned down offers from leading clubs in Britain and Italy as well as a new two-year contract with Madrid to move to the US, but claimed last night that he was not motivated by money.
"I don't want to go out to America at 34 years old and people be turning round saying, `Well he's only going there to get the money,'" he said. "I've enjoyed my time in Spain, it's been an incredible experience for me and the family. But I think another challenge has come up and I think it's the right time for us to do it."
Beckham's move is co-funded by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which owns LA Galaxy and the Millennium Dome in London and has a stake in Beckham's soccer academies in the UK and US, and Major League Soccer, which will use the Englishman's presence to promote the game in the US. It will also be popular with several of his sponsors, including Gillette and Pepsi, both US companies.
Intriguingly, Beckham's debut for LA Galaxy could come against current English champions Chelsea, who considered signing him last summer. The London club have a commercial agreement with AEG and are likely to meet one of their clubs on a pre-season tour.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two