David Beckham Heading For Paris St Germain

At the grand old age of 36, football superstar and cultural phenomenon David Beckham is on the move again. His five year tenure at LA Galaxy has resulted in increased revenue and interest in his American club and, indeed, with US soccer in general. More importantly for Beckham, he has ended his final season on a high, with his team winning the Major League Soccer title. His contract ends on 31 December and his fans and the media are waiting with eager anticipation for news of his next move.

David Beckham courts and attracts attention in equal measure. His worth as Brand Beckham is significant and rising, despite these being the twilight years of his playing career. Most recently, he has been signed up to a £5 million contract to be the new face of Sainsbury’s, reflecting his management team’s strategy to pursue mainstream interests and project family values.


21st century cultural icons do not come greater than David Beckham who is recognised world-wide. In Japan, according to Brand Management, Beckham is the second most recognisable foreign word after Coca-Cola. Although David Beckham and his team continue to build upon his celebrity and the enormous international goodwill towards him, make no mistake, Beckham is still hungry to play top level football.
Despite debilitating injuries this season, David Beckham seeks a final top level club at which to end his illustrious career. This will be an end in itself but would also further his ambition to represent his country at the 2012 Olympics for which he has been an effective ambassador. He would be reluctant to return to the UK to play in the Barclays Premier League, unless he was playing for his former club Manchester United. However, this looks a remote prospect despite his stated admiration for the Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Several English clubs have examined the option of signing Beckham. Tottenham for example has been touted as one possibility. Scandanavian bookmakers Unibet have longer odds of 10/1 which may better reflect the reality of the situation. Tottenham manager, Harry Redknapp has said that Beckham would struggle to get a game ahead of players such as Aaron Lennon and Rafael van der Vaart.

QPR, bankrolled by Air Asia tycoon Tony Fernandes, remains a possibility and the bookmakers offer slightly higher odds on a signing at 13/1 (Unibet) .

But the lure of Paris may instead prove irresistible for the former England captain. Paris Saint-Germain are strongly touted to be the future employer of Monsieur Beckham. As he weighs up his options, the odds are that he will make the move early in 2012. Unibet are pretty confident of this, offering betting odds of only 2/5. But will Beckham be willing to up sticks from sunny LA for a year-long contract in Paris? Family and friends will figure in his calculations but equally he will wish to end his career on a high. Decisions, decisions...